Graci Parry
From prehistoric sailors to modern day gamblers, superstitions have always been prevalent. Sports are no exception.
Sam Layton, a senior and a center who’s played football since the 5th grade, talks about his experience with superstitions saying “It depends on the day or what I eat, if I don’t drink enough water, I don’t feel good, or when I don’t take two ibuprofens before practice, I hurt.” Sam’s statement reveals that not all superstitions are rooted in obscurity, as drinking the appropriate amount of water for an athlete of his skill is greatly beneficial. Staying hydrated allows for greater focus and mood stability. As for the ibuprofen, who wouldn’t hurt after football practice?
Among Fremont’s finest lies a specific kind of notion; wardrobe. KJ Erwin, a senior is aware that his lucky outfit (as seen in picture) is lacking logical reasoning, with four top ten finishes including one win at the Meadow Brook Junior, it’s clear his garb is never the deciding factor, it’s simply his skill.
When an athlete starts their journey, it’s easy to pick up habits or patterns as it gives the player an illusion of having greater control over their environment and circumstances. “I don’t think there would be a difference but mentally, if I look the same and feel the same then I’ll play the same.” Felicity Findlay, a new addition to the J.V cross country team said. This senior started to wear her hair in distinct bubble braids, pairing it with bracelets after her first race. “Now I have to keep it up every single race!” she joyfully exclaims.
It goes without saying that in activities where confidence is an important factor, rituals have meaning. It takes less effort to obey these customs than to avoid them. How many times have you knocked on wood or got spooked by a black cat crossing your path? Following through with these notions creates security, it doesn’t matter how hard you study for that math quiz if you are second guessing your “luck” because you walked under a ladder. It’s no wonder why professionals like Micheal Jordan and Turk Wendell have them.
It doesn’t matter if you are a world famous soccer star or a journalist in your school’s newspaper, you have probably been told at least once in your life “mind over matter”. But this phrase can be applied in a multitude of ways, one of which is more aggressive than the previous examples.
Athletic Director Coach Melaney gives an example of how he would interfere with opposing players’ superstitions to gain an advantage. “There’s times where we go in and the other team will come down to the other side and shoot using that hoop. Well, sometimes I’ll just leave one of our players out there.”
It didn’t matter whether Fremont’s player was shooting hoops or just standing there asserting dominance, as long as they were an obstacle they served their purpose.
When the player is in their head about extenuating circumstances such as failing to do their pre-game rituals it causes their mind to wander and cause more mistakes.
However, not all competitors agree with this conviction. Ridge Lindley, a football player of ten years, has never had a superstition. He scoffed at the idea of players continuously wearing articles of clothing without washes, calling it “totally gross” in the process.
In the end superstitions only have the power you give them. Triple knotting shoelaces might seem useless to some but to others provide essential courage and fortitude.
