Many athletes have superstitions that help them win a game, a race, or a meet. Some of these superstitions include praying, listening to music, doing their hair a certain way, eating the same food, jumping before they run, etc. Some of these may seem odd from an outside eye, but athletes will do whatever it takes to win. Many of these superstitions are individual-based, but some teams come together before they compete because it is something they have always done.
Ella Brummer runs cross country, and she said, “Before every cross country meet the team huddles together and prays.” They also do a shake out and “literally shake their hands and feet out.” She says these things help them focus and get into the right mindset before a race and give them some sort of routine before running. She also does archery and if she has a bad shot she always tells herself “Every arrow is a new arrow,” and it helps her to do better and get herself into a better mindset.
Jayci Reed is a track runner before the gun goes off she wipes away the area of the track with her fingers in the area she started. She does this to “get the little rocks and pebbles out of the way.” It makes her feel more comfortable, and “ready to go.” She said she doesn’t necessarily feel like it makes her a better runner but it gets her more confident and ready to run because it is something she does before every race. She also listens to music and does her hair a certain way depending on how she is feeling that day.
Lila Wiederstein also runs track and she wears “the exact same pair of purple Lululemon socks during every meet.” She said that she tried it one time and now can’t go a single race without wearing them. She’s tried wearing other ones and none of them work. The first time she wore the purple socks she said she “immediately felt like [she] could run faster,” she’s been wearing them every meet since her freshman year and she hasn’t stopped.
Keaton Schroeder wrestles and has the same pregame routine before every meet. He walks the same, acts the same, talks the same to others and himself, wears the same clothes, “everything.” He said “throughout this season,” he has found things that have worked and things that don’t and he said after he does something and it works, he will continue to do it until it doesn’t work anymore. He said that when he doesn’t have the same routine every time he wrestles “terribly.”
Superstitions don’t work for everybody, but some of these athletes will never stop because they believe these superstitions help them win. They will do whatever it takes to be number 1.
