By Christine Garcia
Before a ball is snapped or served, something else happens—a moment of contagious energy and passion, known as pre-game rituals.
When you watch a sports team huddle up before a game, clapping in unison or chanting a school fight song, these aren’t just silly superstitions. In sports, there are a lot of high stakes where every millisecond and minute can define a victory or defeat. It’s just like crafting a secret sauce for a meal—transforming a group of special individuals into an unstoppable team.
There are important reasons behind these rituals: taming a person’s nerves, strengthening a team’s dynamics, carrying the torch of tradition and unlocking confidence. Team rituals—whether that be a specific cheer, huddle or shared snack—are powerful bonding agents. Some may say that the bonds formed by these rituals are stronger than hydrogen bonds.
Color Guard
For color guard, the team holds hands while standing in a circle. Their coaches stand in the middle of the group, giving them inspirational pep talks. Then, their coach sprays each performer with a perfume, all differing from the last, while the seniors get sprayed twice. In addition, their coach gives them a piece of Starburst candy, as each of them are stars in their own ways. Furthermore, each person has their own special handshake that they do with another person on the team.
During field season, the color guard team rubs their shoes into the twenty-yard line of the football field for luck as it signifies a perfect score.
“[Color guard has] these things to look forward to that kind of bond us … At the end of the day, it’s like we’re with each other for so long that having these little things helped build us as a team and a friendship,” senior and color guard captain Hannah Rothenberger said.
Swim Team
Both girls’ and boys’ swim indulge in their filling pasta parties—a social gathering focused on pasta, for pre-carb-loading events. Just like the color guard, all the swimmers stand in a circle, with the boys’ and girls’ captains leading the chant. As a captain blows into the conch shell, many screech and bellow at the deep booming of the shell. After, they do the classic Baron cheer—”B-B-B-A-R”… “O-O-O-N-S” … “Let’s Go Barons!”
Swim coach Nathan Wilcox introduced the second part of the ritual to the team or the part where they yell on the top of their lungs, in hopes of intimidating the other teams with their loud and confident unified sounds.
“It’s a time where we are all together because we have different practice times in split between both girls and boys and also between open JV and varsity, so this is like one of the only times where we’re all really just huddling,” junior Ellie Tran said.
Dance Team
Before any Winter and Spring Showcases, everyone huddles into a circle interlocking hands, giving each other words of encouragement. After, they jump seven times, getting all their nervous energy out.
Before competitions, with their specific dance groups— large, medium and small—they hug while hyping everyone else up to do their best.
“Performing in front of a bunch of people can be nerve-racking. I think it’s just basically a way for us to scare off the nerves,” junior Kara Nghiem said. “There’s no one better to do that than the people you work alongside with.”
Conclusion
Pre-game sports rituals are more than superstitious habits; They are strategic tools that can enhance an athletes performance and mental state. By providing a sense of control, familiarity and comfort, rituals can help athletes focus but confidence and manage pressures.
