A typical day in the life of Trinity Prep student athletes is filled with pressure. Tests, quizzes, homework and classwork clutter their mind. They go through the normal routine of classes, lunch and more classes. From school it is off to sports practice. Then they go home and have more homework, eat and go to bed. They get up the next day, and the cycle starts all over again. This brutal daily routine happens over and over again until they get to the greatest day of a young athlete’s life: game day.
Game day is a tradition as old as the game itself. Competition days can be completely different from other days. Everything affects the athlete’s performance. When they wake up, what they eat, what happens during and after the school day are all key factors.
Some athletes’ routines start as soon as they get up and they try to follow that routine throughout the day.
“If you follow a routine on race day it helps you to feel more comfortable and relaxed,” junior cross country runner Rose Millson said.
Others, such as Jimmy Toscano, a starting attackman for the lacrosse team, have a different approach.
“I actually like to change my routine up and see what works,” Toscano said. “Usually I try to get a good stretch in and eat healthy-ish food.”
Varsity football quarterback Spencer Fetter agrees with Toscano.
“I don’t feel like it’s necessary to follow the same routine on every game day because if our team happens to lose, then I like to switch it up and try something different,” Fetter said. “I like to have fun and mess around on gameday, but at about 4:00 it’s time to get in the zone.”
Getting in the zone is the most important aspect of a game or meet day routine for most athletes. Houston Texans star J.J. Watt gets so psyched up that he listen to Adele pre-game to calm himself down. Basketball great Michael Jordan wore his basketball shorts from the University of North Carolina underneath his Bulls shorts every game.
Pregame traditions are nothing new to Trinity. Similar to Watt, Fetter likes to “sit by himself and listen to music to get in the right mindset.” Junior swimmer Anna Carpenter wears a different swim cap to each meet and likes listening to old Justin Bieber songs before the meet. Toscano also enjoys a special playlist of songs dedicated to pregame to block out the nerves.
Nerves before a big game are also very common and people deal with them differently. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley literally throws up before big games to calm himself down. Many other professionals embrace the nerves and use them to pump themselves up even more than they already are.
“I start to get nerves the day of the game but that all goes away on the first snap,” Fetter said. “I start to get excited for each game on Monday when we watch film on the opposing team.”
Millson takes a different approach than Fetter.
“I try not to think about the meet for as long as possible so I don’t get nervous,” Millson said.
All sports teams have pregame traditions they do together. Many collegiate teams tap a sign that says something like “play like a champion today” as they walk out of the locker room.
Here at Trinity, all of our teams have their own traditions. The boys and girls cross country teams get together the night before a meet and have a pasta dinner. The football team recites the Lord’s prayer before they take the field. The swim team also recites a prayer and does a special team cheer beforehand. Last season, the lacrosse team carried out a #24 jersey and placed it on the sidelines during games in honor of John Michael Knight. These traditions bring the team together as one unit, which is critical when the game kicks off.
When the game or meet finally starts, athletes can’t focus on the nerves or pregame butterflies. They just grit their teeth and play as hard as they can until the final blow of the whistle.
Even when the last horn blows the traditions don’t end. The football team has a unique tradition after games that has actually migrated over to other sports such as basketball. After every game, win or lose, the entire football team goes to the home stands and sings the alma mater.
This great tradition is one of mawny we have at Trinity. From post-game meals to karaoke, all teams have special ways of celebrating big wins. By the time everything is finally done and the student-athlete finally gets home, it’s homework and then sleep where they dream of the next game day.
