Have you ever worn the same jersey to a game without washing it because, otherwise, your team might lose? Don’t worry, it isn’t weird. In fact, many athletes have their own little wacky superstitions or rituals that they follow before their own games!
After speaking to some of the athletes that wear a Rams jersey, here are some of the rituals they go through before every game or practice.
Aaron Rhooms, men’s basketball
“Before every game, following our team talk, I’ll stay back and listen to my favourite song on max volume. The song is almost four minutes long and I cannot leave until it is finished. It helps me get into the right headspace for me to have a good warmup and be ready for the game.”
Song: Miss the Rage by Trippie Redd ft Playboi Carti
Ankit Choudhary, men’s basketball
“I usually read different books but mostly around the same concept: books that help you mentally evolve and can give you perspective. That can also challenge you in certain ways and overall just teach you new things.”
Book recommendations: Mindset by Carol Dweck, The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
Jyoti Ruparell, women’s volleyball
“I have a few things I do on game day—the normal ones like having a playlist, waking up at a certain time, getting to the locker room at a certain time. The one thing out of the ordinary I do is, I have a GoGo Squeez [applesauce] before the game—it’s become a ritual now.”
Zoe Kuck, women’s volleyball
“I always need to listen to the song Mirrors by Justin Timberlake in full before I have a game. I got obsessed with that song when I was in competitive swimming and would listen to it before every meet, and now I just find it relaxes me. Since it’s a good length I get to think about our strategy for the game during it and just relax. I’ve only ever forgotten to listen to it once and I ended up losing that game, so pretty self-explanatory there!”
Savahnna Robinson, women’s soccer
“One of my pre-game rituals is to eat a banana right before the game. I do this before every soccer game.”
There you have it—whether it’s listening to the same song before every game or having some good ol’ applesauce, these are some little superstitions that keep Rams athletes in check during the season.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.