Following superstitions helps athletes focus
Like Michael Jordan’s famous college basketball shorts or the red shirt Tiger Woods wears in the gold tournaments finals, some student athletes at Utah State have superstitions that they believe help them perform their best.
“It makes me feel calmer. It makes it easier to focus on the right things when I’m on the court, I think,” said tennis player Sebastian Schneider. “When I’m comfortable with everything on the side, I just let go of that and I do the right things on court instead.”
Some players have good luck charms. Others perform certain rituals before or during a game, or refrain from doing certain things.
“There was a kid that would draw a turtle on the ground towards the end of every game if we were losing, and every time we got a hit, he would feed it seeds and give it water,” said Colton Draney, a player on the baseball team. “That was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. But it worked.”
Some rituals only last as long as a player or team continues winning. Players will wait to wash their jerseys, towels or even their underwear until they lose a game or match.
“I have to change it up when I lose,” Schneider said. “So if I keep on winning, I try to keep everything the same.”
Different sports have different rituals and superstitions that are recognized universally by players. In tennis, for example, some players will step on the lines on the court or touch them with their racquet before each point. Baseball players know not to step on the baseline.
“A lot of teams don’t even talk to the pitcher if he’s doing really good because that would be bad luck,” said baseball player Taylor Stauffer. “He sits in the bottom of the dugout, and you don’t say a thing to him.”
Whatever the routine may be, most athletes agree that it helps to keep them calm.
“I get really nervous at first,” Draney said. “After (the ritual), I forget about it. It’s just at the start of games.”
Some teams have rituals and traditions that the entire team observes. The volleyball team has a dance party in the locker room before each game. The gymnastics team has a tradition they call “pass the power.” After the routine, the first gymnast to perform will give a short pep talk to the next person who will perform. This continues through the lineup.
“Sometimes it’ll just like kind of pump-me-up,” said gymnast Breyanna Aufiero. “It’s kind of a tradition around here that we’ve just kind of been carrying on.”
When players don’t carry out their rituals or observe their superstitions, some feel nervous and unprepared for the game they’re playing or routine they’re doing.
“It definitely adds some stress,” said gymnast Michelle Yasukochi. “It adds an unknown element to the sport, which is already a whole bunch of variable factors anyways. Some players can put this stress out of their minds.”
— olivia.webb@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @oliviawebb77