Clutching onto superstitions is a comforting behavior, and its presence is something that lingers all throughout one’s life. They follow people around everywhere. From before morning practice to riding the bus to an away game, superstitions show themselves even in the most minuscule tasks. In one way or another, every athlete has them, and at least one person you know has or participates in superstitious behaviors, or believes in them.
Some people say “Do not forget to knock on wood!” or “Where’s my lucky sock?”
Most of these common superstitions are truly just products of the human psyche, as our brains develop patterns to make sense of certain situations or to attempt to control external factors that would otherwise be out of our control.
Much of the time, these superstitions act as good luck charms, like an angel by your side when you are running laps on the soccer field at 6 a.m. This is true for girls varsity soccer team captain Natalie Cohen (12), at least. During her games, double-dutch braids tightly weave luck into every strand of her hair.
“During high school games specifically, it’s a must for me to do double-dutch braids if I want to play well,” Cohen said.
I tested this superstition by tightly knotting my hair in a braid before swim practice and stuffing it in my cap. It is safe to say that it worked. I went all near-best times at that practice when we finished the workout. I am not sure if it was the extra sleep I got the night before or the PB&J that I had at lunch, but I have decided to attribute braids stuffed in swim caps to faster times.
Superstitions in sports seem to be quite common, unsurprisingly, with many athletes having their own quirk or good luck charm to ensure a good game or practice.
Retired lacrosse player Nehemie McDade-Miranda (12) mentioned that when she competed in lacrosse from freshman to junior year at Reno High School, she always made sure to double-knot her cleats before her lacrosse games.
“I’m pretty sure I never went a single game without making sure that my cleats were double-knotted,” McDade-Miranda said. “It was always the first thing I thought of before running onto the field every afternoon.”
But this was not her only superstition when it came to lacrosse.
“I would always do a slick back bun — I hated pony tails because the hair would constantly get in my face,” McDade-Miranda said. “Also, I always made sure to have my pink mouth guard on my shoulder, under my sports bra strap. Then, I would put my cleats on — double-knot every time — then make sure to have my stick in hand.”
For me, I have a similar good luck charm for swimming. I never fail to throw on my beautiful, pink, polarized goggles that I have had since my freshman year after “finding” them on the pool deck at my first “big meet.” I must always tighten them to a specific tightness, to where they are just enough to give me a headache, but also to where my eyes aren’t bulging out of my head.
It has been like this ever since freshman year, and I do not think I will ever change it even if someone paid me to. For many athletes, a long-term charm that sticks with them over the years acts as a way to ensure their success.
This is exactly how one mother and teacher feels when it comes to her own children’s sports performance.
Ever since her daughter started competing in volleyball tournaments, Anatomy and Physiology and freshman Biology teacher Lindsey Olson attends every indoor game wearing a specific Pura Vida bracelet that she bought before her daughter’s first tournament.
“Honestly, I don’t have a lot of superstitious behaviors,” Olson said. “But if I could think of one, it’s definitely the one Pura Vida bracelet I always put on before leaving for my daughter’s [volleyball] games.”
This is one superstition I still live by. I remember during my age-group club swim meets when I was much younger, I would always wear this one pink beaded bracelet that my mom purchased for me after one of her work trips. Ever since wearing it to one of my swim meets, it became a habit — something that I needed to have tied to my wrist at all times while I was competing.
This luck eventually bled into academics, where I would consistently have the bracelet hidden under my sleeve during tests. It was a safety net and my favorite good luck charm. It is a simple, pink-string bracelet with pink-and-green beads that perfectly come together to spell out “AUTUMN.” To this day, it is still one of my favorite bracelets and an object that protects my peace.
Whether it be putting your hair up into two, tightly secured braids or making sure your mouth guard is a specific color, superstitions, whether real or not, will always be a part of how people link success to something governable.
