Here at the Clarion, we have decided to start up a new article series. Each week members on the current Clarion staff will be posting past Clarion articles from the years past. The first in the series: “Scary Superstition” by Joe Riley Class of 2003

We all know one or two people who get way out of control when it comes to their high school athletics. I too have been diagnosed with this problem.

The dilemma begins with a little superstition; maybe you eat a certain food before a competition or wear your favorite pair of socks. That’s all well and good, because it gives you comfort and confidence while you compete.

However, over time, the superstitions have been known to grow. This growth leads us to lose sight of what we are striving for. The initial goal becomes almost a product of the superstition itself.

For instance, at the beginning this wrestling season, I had the habit of eating pasta before my matches. This seems logical; it could be considered “carbo-loading” a common technique used by athletes to gain energy before their contest.

The problem was that I started the year with five losses- and only one win. Naturally, I blamed this on the pasta. So I switched my diet to a turkey sandwich at lunchtime and chicken or dinner before my match. Miraculously, I started winning.

I had no choice but to build upon my superstition. I began eating only chicken sandwiches with mustard. Then I began eating only chicken sandwiches with honey mustard. The superstition continued to build.

By the end of February, my routine for the twenty-four hours before a match consisted of wearing my uniform to bed, waking up to “Bohemian Rapsody,” eating two pieces of grapefruit, wearing plaid boxer shorts, eating a pop-tart and slushie for lunch, drawing inspirational pictures in my physics notebook, creating a slogan for our coming competition, eating either a turkey sandwich from Stewart’s Deli sliced diagonally for away matches or chicken with honey mustard on a spinach burrito for home matches, keeping Orange Gatorade in my socks, wearing my blue wrestling shirt, wearing my white knee-pads, and listening to Busta Rhymes. All this was done with the head of hair that I hadn’t cut in roughly three months.

Nonetheless, when push came to shove in the districts, I lost my first match by a pin in the third period while I was winning 8-0. My season was over. Ergo, superstitions mean relatively nothing.

Sports are supposed to be fun. Yet, what I remember most about this past season, was how I most of my time worrying about the amount of mayonnaise that was on my sandwich. The most enjoyable season of the year had passed me by without knowing it.

The same idea holds true with life. Don’t be too busy worrying about the seven years of bad luck you just gained by breaking a mirror. I would be more worried about the gum I just swallowed because I know that will last in my stomach for about twenty-five years.

William James, the 19th century philosopher said, “Life is one long struggle between conclusions based on abstract ways of conceiving cases, and opposite conclusions prompted by our instinctive perception of them.” In other words, don’t lose track of your goals because of little “what if’s” and crazy superstitions.

Regret is the saddest emotion, especially when nothing can be done to right that which was wronged. Learn from my oversight and don’t get caught missing your chance to get what you want because of some ridiculous custom.

I, along with many others, will continue to have many harebrained superstitions even though I have learned how ineffective they are. A new season is starting, so keep your goals in mind when you find that” something” that seems to give you good luck; just remember to not let that lucky item lead you to an unlucky end.