SPORTS FEATURE

Very superstitious

Athletes believe in their superstitions and pre-game rituals

BYMADDIE BARKER Chewing on a damp towel? Not changing sweaty socks for days at a time? Atheists doing the Sign of the Cross before a competition? If these sound strange, it's probably because they are.

Throughout the years, it has become a cultural norm in the realm of athletics to have strange habits or superstitions that are performed religiously before a competition. There are many other examples of this, like hoopers wearing the same pair of gross shorts week after week, baseball players hitting their bats X amount of times on the home plate before batting, or perhaps, most hilariously, clipping nails during breaks.

To an outsider, these may seem unnecessary and irrational, but to athletes, almost anything flies. In fact, someone’s entire “pre-game” schedule keeps building into their superstition, that if it isn't performed to the T, that athlete may experience anxiety and fear later on, which can negatively impact their performance.

Granville athletes are no exception to the rule, especially sophomore Izzy Lauffer, of the girls varsity soccer team, which played very well in the State competition earlier this year. She has a large amount of game-day superstitions, which started as necessary behaviors, but quickly turned into habits.

“I think superstitions among athletes are not so much about preparing your body or good luck or anything like that, but has more to do with the idea of ‘now that I have done this, there is no way I can perform in a sub-par way,’” Lauffer said.

Before every single game, Lauffer eats a “microwaved peanut noodle bowl.”

When she gets to the field, she has to put them on, going “right shin guard, right sock, and the left shin guard, left sock.” One wrong more, and it could cost her the game, so she has to be careful when it comes to foot- and leg-wear.

After socks and guards, she proceeds to use the same headband she has been using for years (it is washed occasionally, though), to hold her hair back while it is in a ponytail. Where some people have lucky socks or shorts, Izzy has a lucky Nike Pro headband.

In addition to soccer players and their headbands, other sports have quite a bit of superstitions, too. Sophia Fraley, junior volleyball player, must do a special high-five with each of her teammates in a specific order every time. Julian Rodgers, who competed in the State meet for the Granville swim team must get his “swag on” by listening to Soulja Boy before he swims each event.

“Every time I have acquired swag, I have PR-ed, so I just kept listening and acquiring more and more swag each time- I was unstoppably swag,” Julian said.

For sophomore Sawyer Benschotter, like many baseball players, bangs his bat on the home plate two or three times before batting "to get him in the right mindset."

He also wears the same undershirt for every game in the season. It started out when he had only one undershirt that fit, but after performing well in it the first few times, he decided to keep wearing it without washing it.

Junior sprinter Nathan Newsome wears neon yellow and neon pink spikes-- one on each foot-- and broke several school track and field records while wearing them.

Junior Elena Smith gets her hair braided before races by a teammate. "It makes me feel closer to the team and it helps me perform better," Smith said.

Mr. Green, who coaches pole vaulting, also has some superstitions. Green said he when he competed, he would always hold a disposable water bottle in his hand while getting ready to compete. When he is coaching, he wears the same outfit when his vaulters are competing. Even if it gets hot, he won't remove his hoodie because he thinks it is bad luck.

Even if these superstitions seem foolish, and appear to offer athletes no physical advantage, these series of coincidences do offer comfort, peace of mind, and positive thinking- which is