Emily Zadny
Contributing Writer
To many, athletics are a religion: you eat, sleep, and breathe your sport. When this much time and focus goes into one aspect of your life, you form habits that become unbreakable and simply another part of the routine.
Sports fans know that the pros have their own superstitions that have made them famous, both for their performance in the heat of competition and because of the uniqueness factor.
Many golf fans have noticed that Tiger Woods wears a red shirt when he competes on Sundays.
What they may not know is he does this because when he was first starting out in the professional leagues, his mother told him it was his power color. He holds true to this superstition today, and who would blame him.
Some rituals are more out of the ordinary, such as former New York Mets relief pitcher, Turk Wendell, who serves as the ultimate example of superstitious athletes.
Wendell would do crazy acts such as jump over the baselines when he walked onto the field, wear a necklace of teeth from animals he had hunted and killed, and even brush his teeth between innings.
Obviously, something was working.
Professional athletes are not the only people to build superstitions. Even the amateurs, including college athletes, have little nuances that they believe work for them.
As an athlete myself, I have developed numerous habits or superstitions that impact my performance in games and practices.
At the first lacrosse game of my junior year in high school, it was a windy day and my long hair, even in a ponytail, kept blowing in my face. Before the first whistle, I quickly braided the ponytail to keep the little pieces out of my eyes.
That was the game where I scored six goals and had five assists.
To this day, you won’t see me on the field unless my hairs is pulled back in a ponytail and braided.
So we know what the big leaguers do before games, but what about our own Cardinals?
What crazy superstitions are floating around the locker rooms?
For football teammates and twin brothers Drew and Chase Taphorn, pre-game rituals run in the family.
“There is always that moment before a game when an athlete want to be completely isolated in their own thoughts,” said Drew Taphorn. “The way I do that is listen to music and focus on the game. I don’t talk to anyone and just get myself mentally prepared.
“I’ll listen to anything that’s up tempo-from hip hop to rock to techno,” he added.
“Before each game, I say, “Good luck” to the coaches,” said his brother, Chase Taphorn. “I do it and hope that it reassures a victory.”
While the Cardinal’s baseball team does not have their own Turk Wendell on the mound, pitcher Jordan Van Dyck and the squad have their own quirks on field.
“For me, I chew gum before every pitch,” said Van Dyck. “As a team, we believe that when a pitcher has a no hitter, or a perfect game, nobody talks about it or even mentions it in the dugout.”
Colleen Taylor and the women’s basketball team shared their pregame activities that help get them mentally prepared before they take the court.
“Before they call the team lineups for our games, we get into a huddle and let the captains speak to us,” said Taylor. “It pumps us up and helps everyone establish their goals for the game.”
For men’s tennis player Oliver Moews, his superstition keeps his head in the game before he goes takes his first serve.
“I play with one of my grandpa’s small military medals in my shoe and always take five sips of water in between games,” said Moews. “I guess it’s just a mental thing.”
“If I don’t do it and I lose, I blame it on that. It keeps me accountable so I can only blame myself,” he added.
And finally, there is men’s track and field sprinter, Daniel Spaccapaniccia, who has his own routine to prepare himself for his events.
“I always put my left shoe on before my right. If I do it the other way, it feels uncomfortable and messes up my vibes,” he said.
“I also tie and untie my shoe laces before I tie them again. That way, I know they’re nice and tight,” Spaccapaniccia added.
From the music they listen to, to the foods that they eat, these athletes will do whatever it takes to be successful in their sport.
Editors note: The original version of this article appeared in the second issue of the Chronicle. The article was printed incorrectly. The corrected version is presented here.
