Whether you choose to believe in them or not, superstitions in the world of sports have seemed to exist forever and Manhattan College is no exception. Jaspers have picked up various superstitions and routines that they need to perform before games or meets.
“I wear the same socks and bras every meet,” Mary Kate Dooley, a freshman distance runner for the track and field team, said.
Alex Shackley, sophomore center-midfielder for the men’s soccer team, also has a clothing-related superstition.
“My superstition is I put my left sock on before my right,” he said. “I have to. It’s like a need, otherwise I can’t play.”
Some Jaspers have routines before meets and games that hold a more spiritual meaning.
“I like to write a Bible verse on my tape for my wrist, and I say the verse to myself before each game,” Chris Santisteban, a sophomore outfielder on the baseball team, said. “As I go out on the field, I like to say a prayer and thank God for just giving me the opportunity to play the game.”
Other Jaspers utilize their superstitions to help them get in the mindset for their games or meets.
Shane Richards, a sophomore shooting guard for the men’s basketball team, depends on his pre-game routine in order to play well during the actual game.
“I like to have a pre-game shooting routine before I play,” Richards said. “About 100 to 150 shots probably, right before the game.”
Some players just like to keep it simple.
“I listen to the same music on my iPod,” Chris Reynolds, a sophomore catcher for the baseball team, said. “I have certain songs that I always listen to and if I don’t listen to those particular songs, I don’t feel ready. I have to make sure that I listen to them before a game. Most of the time it’s either hip-hop or rap.”
Reynolds is not the only Jasper who turns to music to help get prepared for a game.
Alex Cohen, a freshman guard for the women’s basketball team, also listens to music, but her go-to songs are not the typical songs one would ordinarily turn on to get pumped up. She listens to slow, melodic tunes before the start of each game.
Cohen also has another superstition that is somewhat popular with our Jaspers.
“I have a superstition where I have to take a nap before every game,” Cohen said.
“Before every game I take a nap,” Allie Yamashiro, a freshman libero for the volleyball team, also said.
Taking a nap and listening to music are both logical things to do before a match or game, as they both calm athletes, as well as pump them up, respectively.
Then there are the few Jaspers who choose not to develop superstitions for various reasons.
“I don’t really have a specific superstition,” Lance Neuendorf, a sophomore on the swim team, said “But before I swim I like to visualize my race, go through every lap and think of how I want to swim it, and just make sure that when I get in the pool I know exactly what I want to do.”
The same thing goes for fellow swimmer and swim team captain PJ Sweeney.
“I try not to have superstitions because I find that if you do and something goes wrong, then your head is all messed up for your race,” the senior said. “I try to not have a routine. I just try to have confidence.”