Athletes at Blackman High School have specific game-day habits they must complete, or they feel they will not perform well. These superstitions act as a safety net for our athletes so they can feel prepared for the game ahead of them. Whether these superstitions make a difference in their performance depends on how they are perceived. Maybe superstitions hold some value, or maybe it is just a mental thing.
For Caden Perkins, a senior on the varsity football team, his game-day playlist is a must. Throughout the day and before the game he blasts music getting him in the right mindset. This playlist includes various artists, but his favorite is NBA YoungBoy. At a scrimmage against Hendersonville during the pre-season, Perkins hurt his shoulder.
Although it wasn’t serious, and he continued to play, it shook him up a little. The kicker, he did not listen to his playlist this day. So now, Perkins won’t go to another game without listening to his playlist.
Sometimes these superstitions don’t include a playlist and they are more about team dynamics. For Bailynn Low, a junior on the girls’ soccer team, she looks forward to eating a pre-game meal with her team.
“It feels like we don’t play well when we don’t” said Low. There was a specific instance where they did not eat together before a game and that very day one of her teammates tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL.).
Although Low herself was not injured, she explained how that day everything felt off and that they were just not playing well. Maybe this all could have been avoided by simply eating a meal together, no one will ever know.
Some superstitions are also very close to the heart. For Emory Harris, a sophomore football player, he writes the number six on his arm. Harris’ grandfather died when he was six years old. His grandfather was one of the reasons he decided to pursue football, and he commemorates his grandfather every time he plays a game through the simple act of writing a six on his arm.
There was a time where he was in too much of a rush to be able to write the six, and they ended up losing the game. His game was off, and he concludes that it must be the missing number on his arm.
Sometimes these superstitions are spiritual. That is the case for sophomore football and basketball cheerleader Brooklyn Bennett. Before major competitions or performances, she explains how everyone on the team would pray. It gives them a sense of direction and guidance. This part of the pre-game routine was pushed to the side one day and their performance fell apart.
“It got the best of us” Bennet stated. In another instance, Bennett describes someone spraining their ankle and having to be carried offstage. A scary moment for the team that they would surely remember the next time they performed, and skipping a prayer before they go out is not something they would like to happen again.
Even some members of the J-Staff have their own superstitions within their own respective sports. Zacarrah Nicholas, a senior and reporter for The Blackman Voice, is also a part of the girls’ soccer team. She always blows on her cleats and stretches before games.
The time she failed to do so she was playing defense. A girl who had the ball on the opposing team was heading in her direction. Nicholas attempted to steal the ball, but the girl spun around making it past her.
That was not enough, once the girl broke free from Nicholas’ defense, she was able to get the ball in the net scoring a goal. The day could not get any worse, and it can all be traced back to not blowing on her cleats and forgetting stretches.
Chai Flores, a reporter for The Blackman Voice, always names her alarms for competition days. “YOU GOT THIS” is just one example. One day she did not set an alarm or have a crazy name for it, and when she was slammed into the mats, she injured her rib.
Flores is not exactly sure what happened to her ribs, but many believed they were dislocated. Now, if she is not careful, her ribs will make popping sounds, or they may even pop out of place. Flores is sure to always name her alarms because this was not a situation she enjoyed.
These superstitions are a few of the habits our athletes keep up with, especially if they want a State Championship title. Our athletes work hard every day to be able to perform and execute perfect plays and chants. Each of these athletes is worth more than their game-day habits, but the habits do not hurt anyone. Well, maybe it hurts the other teams when they lose, but it is all a part of the game.
