Superstitions are something all athletes can associate with. Whether it’s something subtle that we don’t think about or an integral part of an athlete’s gameday routine, superstitions are real and have been a thing since the beginning of sports, but where do they come into play at Wilsonville High School?

Football is such a demanding sport physically that it only makes sense for Wilsonville football athletes to give themselves a fuel boost before games. Junior left tackle Jared Elia speaks on his nutrition before stepping onto the gridiron: “On gameday, I go to Safeway and I buy two electrolyte drinks. I drink one during that school day, and then I drink half of the other one before warmups. After I come back in, I drink the other half, and I’m all ready to go.”

To further support Elia’s hypothesis, he adds, “All I’m going to say is the only two games I didn’t have my electrolyte drink was against Lakeridge and Silverton,” those being Wilsonville’s only two losses on the season.

Flip the script to baseball, where superstitions were born. Since the first ever baseball was thrown, superstitions have been what some would call an unwritten rule. Whether it’s Jim Leyland’s favorite pair of boxers or Mark Teixeira’s non-matching socks, every baseball player has their personal gameday tradition.

For junior Colby Kosderka, it’s a part of staying calm at the plate and trusting in his routine. “Superstition often allows for people to get into a flow or rhythm. For me especially, doing the same thing every time allows me to stay calm and not have to adapt to change all the time.”

No matter how wacky the pregame routine or what we feed our bodies on gameday, every athlete can agree that superstitions do more good than harm. Getting into the habit of success and staying consistent has been a key piece for athletes at Wilsonville, and it shows in every practice, game, and win.