Hawthorne High School fall-sport athletes spend just as much time mentally preparing for a game as they do physically preparing.

“I do the same things every week, like putting my pads on a certain way and praying individually before a game,” said senior quarterback Tommy Walls of Hawthorne High School’s football team. According to Walls, aside from his individual superstitions and rituals, the team prays before every game after listening to a series of music to get everyone in the mood to play football. Also, a newly formed ritual preformed for the past two years is that everyone on the team gets a mohawk haircut to show unity and dedication to the team and sport.

The girls’ soccer team of Hawthorne High School also has rituals they partake in. “Maddie Cornett (now a freshman in college) started a tradition a few years ago,” senior Brooke Morton said. “Before every game, someone chooses a quote, puts it on  piece of paper, and the team puts the papers in our shin guards.” As a team, the girls do a drill called “Brazilians” which consists of two lines shooting goals before a game. “It gets us ready for the game,” Morton added.

Ian Cabello, a senior on the Hawthorne High School boys’ soccer team, said the team does a warm-up together involving a shooting drill similar to the girls’ soccer team’s warm up. While most teams do a warm-up before a game, it’s what the drill consists of that makes it a superstition. Some people truly feel that if they do not partake in the warm-up, their performance will not be at its best. “Personally, I play a specific playlist of songs to get me in the mood while I get ready,” Cabello said. “But it’s what I do on the field that really shows whether I have talent or not.”

“First, I stretch my quads. Then I stretch my neck. Finally, I do my arms. While I do all this, I recite Call Me Maybe in my head,” said Stephanie Doot, a junior on the Hawthorne High School tennis team. “One day it just came to. I was stretching and then all the sudden I was reciting the song. Next thing I knew, it became a part of my ritual.” Doot said she loves the sport and she feels that the superstition, as odd as some may see it, is vital to her performance on the court.

The Hawthorne High School volleyball team is recognized by their music as they enter the gym. They have a CD playing consisting of aggressive music with the objective of getting the girls in the mood to play. “Besides the playing our scary CD to get pumped up, the six starters of the game go into a huddle and we put our right foot in the middle to make a star and each of us says our goal for that particular game,” said Jessica Chamberlain, a senior on the team.

The Hawthorne High School cheerleading squad and band also have rituals to get them ready for games and competitions. “Before a game, a few of us girls always go to Dunkin Donuts and relax to get us in the right mindset,” said Stefanie Yeung, a senior cheerleader at Hawthorne High School. While some people have rituals and superstitions that may seem wacky, others have rituals similar to the cheerleaders involving a friendly get together. “I need to sit down and just relax, said Eric Nickl, a senior band member.” Taking time to sit back and think about what I need to do to perform well truly gets my head in the game.”  Some band members also takes the approach of relaxing and getting a good mindset before competition.

Whether an athlete chooses to take the road of religion and faith, superstitious ritural, or relaxing moments of peace and quiet, many people truly believe that setting a particular mindset before a game can really be the difference between a good game and a bad game.