Athletes participate in traditions and rituals

Jordan Withers, Reporter

Many teams and athletes have rituals and traditions they do so they have good luck for their meets or games. 

Even here, there is a wide variety of superstitions. The boys swim team sings Katy Perry loudly on the bus as well as have a shaving party. They also perform team chants before big meets, such as league and state. 

“Our Katy Perry fetish just happened, while the shaving party has been going on for the past three years,” Bennett Junkins, junior, said.

Drill team has the tradition of meeting in a circle while the officers give them an inspirational speech. They also have the superstition of doing their walk out together; if it isn’t together, they think their performance will not be as good. 

“Our superstitions have been around ever since the Golden Girls have been at Olathe South; they work almost every time,” Jillian Wrisinger, sophomore, said. 

One student who has their own superstition is Addy Bray, junior. Before the 100-meter back stroke, she does nine arm circles on each arm and jumps in the pool on the right side of the block.

While Bray has her own superstition, she, along with Nina Tasic, freshman; Kianna Skinner, sophomore; and Sarah Buehler, senior, have the superstition of standing in a circle before their relay races and screaming as loud as they can. 

Some students on the wrestling team such as Tyler Johnson, sophomore, Dallas Koelzer, sophomore, and Jace Koelzer, senior, have the tradition of dying their hair blonde for state.

The softball team has the superstition of going through a pregame and doing lineups with handshakes. They also have the superstition of saying “together the best” before every game.

“This superstition has been around for about four years and we do it every single game and practice. Our chant ‘together the best’ is just a reminder that we are a team and need to work together,” Abby Allen, senior, said. 

The boys tennis team has the superstitions of taking deep breaths before serving, not stepping on lines, wearing the same hat and wearing the same socks. They also think that if a water bottle spills, they will lose the match. These superstitions are performed for all matches, and the players think it works every time. J