Superstitions, routines key for athletes
Andy Hildebrand
Athletes are creatures of habit. Practice after practice, they work to perfect technique and build muscle memory. Repetition is the name of the game.
For some, that repetition even extends to the way athletes spend their time before a competition. Little rituals and superstitions, recreated from a particularly strong performance of the past, become a necessity every time they compete.
The track and field state meet will take place this weekend at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and several area athletes will represent their schools and look to best both personal records and the competition to claim a spot on the podium. Each has a routine that's at least in part unique to them, some as tame as a little extra stretching and others much more bizarre.
Sheboygan North's Monique Felix, one of the area's most decorated track stars, qualified for the state meet in the triple jump, long jump, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. It's her second trip to state and she's developed a very specific routine leading up to a meet.
"When I have to warm-up, my routine that includes a 800-meter run and a dynamic warmup," she said. "Right before I jump or get in the blocks, I do a few jumping hip stretches on each leg, I bend down and touch my toes three times, do a squat, adjust my glasses, and then start. It's somewhat complex, but I feel like it helps me to focus and calm my nerves."
The preparation doesn't start there though. In fact, Felix actually starts her routine the previous day.
"The night before every meet I eat spaghetti," she said. "Even for state I have my mom make my food in advance and I microwave it for the night before competition. The day of every race, I wear a specific pair of socks, a certain pair of earrings, and a special bobby pin. I'm pretty superstitious, so I try and make sure I do a lot of things the same way."
Kiel's Brittany Jaeger qualified in the 100 meter dash and as part of the 400 and 800 meter relay teams. For her, the pre-race routine is less about superstition and more about limiting her nerves. A year ago, when Jaeger made her first trip to state, she found the stage a little scary.
"It's a feeling like nothing before," she said. "You never really have a meet with this many people. You look in the stands and there are so many people there. When I went last year, I thought it was really intimidating."
A year older and a year wiser, Jaeger said she knows the key to fending off those nerves is a simple one, but the sheer size of the state meet will make that a more difficult task than it normally would be.
"I just try to talk to my teammates as much as I can," she said. "Our team has a good sense of how much fun to have. Instead of stressing out, I just talk to them and we laugh. It calms me down before a race. One of the big things for me is I've always had a teammate holding my blocks for me, but at state, you don't get anyone on the track with you to hold your blocks. That will be different for me, so I'll have to do a really good job of talking to my friends and coaches, making sure I'm focused and really relaxed. The worst thing is to be too anxious. Bad things happen then."
Plymouth's Gavin Falk, who will compete in the long jump at the state meet, said he's much more relaxed about his routine. He stays consistent and gets his head in the right place. That should be easy to duplicate this weekend.
"Before I jump, we do the same warm up every single time. We also do a ton of stretching before jumping as well," he said. "One thing I always do before each meet is listen to music on the bus ride there if the meet is away or listen to music in the locker room if it's home. I don't think our warm-up routine will change at all because I'm still going to stretch and warm up the best I can."
Music is a common theme for athletes. Whether it's a single song or a playlist, it plays a key role in mentally preparing them for competition.
Kiel's Trent Nickel qualified for state the in 400 yard dash and as a part of the 1,600 and 3,200 relays. He said music is an essential part of his pre-race routine, but there's a difference. While other athletes stress a consistent regiment of steps, he's more than willing to tweak his playlist if it doesn't feel right. Just like his peers though, he's got a long list of superstitions he tries to stick to on race day.
"When I do put my ear buds in I always listen to the same songs before the race, but if I don't do well, I always switch the last song for the next race," he said. "On race days for breakfast I always eat peanut butter toast. When all the runners walk down the track to the start line I like to be the last one. Since the postseason began I've had the same person hold my blocks each race for good luck."
Word has already reached Nickel that he'll have to deal with a new block holder. He said he'll make do, but he's trying to stick as close to his usual routine as possible for the rest of the day.
"I think with my stretching routine, I'll be able to cope with fine, but having to find a quiet place might be a little challenging," he said. "I've talked to my coaches and I should be able to eat my usual breakfast. But, unfortunately I've heard they already have block holders for you so I won't be to have my regular guy."
Sheboygan North's Shamus Zenk is no stranger to state competition. He's qualified for the cross country state meet on multiple occasions, but this is his first time qualifying in track. He's hoping a little crossover superstition can do the trick this weekend.
"I always wear the same socks for every race," he said. "They're the socks that I wore during my junior year in cross country and the first time I wore them, I broke 17 (minutes) in the 5K. Other than that, I make sure I get a good warmup. I stretch, try to drink a lot of water and eat well."
He said the state meet will undoubtedly throw some curveballs at him when it comes to preparation, but he'll try to keep his mind focused on the task at hand and enjoy the day.
"It will definitely be a little different there with so many people," he said. "I'm sure I'll want to talk to some of the people around me and the other runners in the race. I know some of them from running with them before. I think my mindset going in will be to visualize it and keep my mentality as status quo as possible."
Hundreds of athletes will compete at the state meet, each with his or her own set of rituals, superstitions and routines they think might just give them an edge. They're creatures of habit, after all. But in La Crosse this weekend, on the season's biggest stage, it's survival of the fittest.
State Qualifiers:
Division 1: Plymouth: Gavin Falk, long jump. Samuel Stahling, 100 and 200 meter dash. Zach Albers, 300 hurdles. (Sebranek, Staehlingm Schneider, Bocchini, Kuhn, Novotny), 800 meter relay. Sheboygan North: Dan Becker, pole vault. Bailey Meyer, triple jump. Shamus Zenk, 3,200 meter run.
Division 2: Sheboygan Falls: Clark Otte, 1,600 and 3,200 meter run. Josh LeMahieu, shot put. Kiel: Trent Nickel, 400 meter dash. (Kammerzelt, Meunier, Bonde, Nickel, Freund, Sandoval), 3,200 meter relay. Cedar Grove-Belgium: Aaron Chier, 200 meter dash and long jump.
Division 3: Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah: Logan Knepfel, 110 hurdles and 200 meter dash.
Division 1: Sheboygan North: Monique Felix, triple jump, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and long jump. Anya Athan, 400 meter dash. Plymouth: Mary Albert, 100 hurdles. Sophie Dolich, 1,600 meter run.
Division 2: Kiel: Brittany Jaeger, 100 meter dash. Kayla Lallensack, 100 and 200 meter dash. (Halback, T. Binversie, G. Binversie, Addison Dahmer, Lita Noordyk, Michelle Henning), 3,200 meter relay. (Dahmer, Jaeger, Em. Field, El. Field, Teske, Maurer), 800 meter relay. (Em. Field, El. Field, Jaeger, Lallensack, Hartlaub, Henning), 400 meter relay. Sheboygan Falls: Alyssa Sommerfeld, high jump.
Division 3: Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah: Sonia Schubert, long jump and 100 hurldes. Emily Holzmann, 100 hurdles. (Holzmann, Meyers, Schubert, Schmitz, Boos, summer Henschel), 800 meter relay. (Holzmann, Schmitz, Boos, Schubert, Meyers), 400 meter relay. Sheboygan Lutheran: Rachel Holk, high jump.
© 2023 www.sheboyganpress.com. All rights reserved.