Lauren Ceballos / Sports Editor

Halloween is filled with eerie elements and different supernatural beliefs, including superstitions. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as the “belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.”

Some common superstitions that cause “bad luck” include “splitting the pole” or walking on both sides of a pole when walking with a friend, having or seeing a black cat, walking under a ladder and breaking a mirror. Other common superstitions that cause “good luck,” include finding a penny with the heads side up, knocking on wood so as not to jinx something and crossing one’s fingers in hopes that things will work in their favor.

One place where they show up is in sports. Last semester, The USD Vista’s 2022-2023 Sports Editor Amara Brooks wrote a story entitled “Game day superstitions.” With the new school year, superstitions are still  common to have as an athlete or sports team. They provide routine and ritual for mental preparedness. 

USD sophomore softball   player,  outfielder Carly Ruiz   explained   where she believes sports-related superstitions come from.

“Those superstitions come about when somebody gets out of a slump… makes a good play or when somebody has a consistent string of good games. And they say, ‘oh, I wear this bracelet during every single one of these games. I’m going to continue to wear it.’” Ruiz said.

Ruiz has a routine for every single pitch. 

“Before I step in the box… I reset, I stare at a logo on my bat. I take a breath and then I step in  with my left foot, step in with my right foot, I touch my helmet and then I get ready to hit.”

Ruiz also holds personal superstitions as well.                

“I have worn the same towel in my back pocket for every practice and game, and that’s starting to become my new superstition,” Ruiz said.

Her old superstition was unwillingly put to an end.

“I had a big rope chain that I would wear. But it broke, so I had to take it off,” Ruiz said.

USD first-year forward basketball player Jimmy Oladokun Jr. believes in the power of superstition as well.

“I think it just helps you get into the right mindset like when you repeat something the result can be the same, and if you had a good result then you can just repeat whatever you did to get a good result, that’s how I feel.”

Oladokun Jr. does not have an extreme routine before games but instead he focuses on his mentality by listening to a hype playlist and taking care of himself.

“I have a playlist, but it has so many different songs, I can’t just pick one song to get hyped to,” Oladokun Jr. said.

Although it is not too strict of a routine, Oladokun Jr. still finds the power in superstition.

“I just do personal maintenance, I just like to feel clean before my game,” Oladokun Jr. said.

Oladokun Jr. said that the men’s basketball team has team dinners   before  their  games which he enjoys and finds fun during his    first   season   as   a   Torero.      

USD junior basketball player, guard Kylie Horstmeyer is not superstitious but collectively, her team does a lot of superstitious things.

“As far as our pregame warmup, we have the same spot in each drill each lineup, which is something that’s really unique and we do special dancing before every single game,” Horstmeyer said.

Horstmeyer’s teammates listen to pump-up songs as well but Horstmeyer prefers relaxing music before playing. 

Horstmeyer does something that is  different  from  most  players during her pregame warmup.

“Growing up, my mom always used to tell me — which I repeat in my head before a game — ‘play with your instincts.’”

This is less of a superstition and more of a personal experience for Horstmeyer.

“When I play basketball, I’m thinking a lot… It’s just a good reminder that you don’t need to think all the time… it’s just to not think as much and just play.”

In terms of specific superstitions, one of Horstmeyer’s teammates needs to eat a single piece of sour candy before every game.

Ruiz’s team always does the same warm up routine. Before the game, they stand in a circle and hold hands to compose themselves. 

Some superstitions  are rooted in patterns that are observed by the people who entertain them. Some athletes have adopted these ideals and integrated them into their pregame routines and practices.