Choate divers “get in the zone” before a swim meet. Photo courtesy of Choate Swim and Dive Instagram
Whether it’s listening to certain songs, warming up with specific drills, or boosting team morale with creative team chants, each of Choate’s athletic teams has its own pre-game tradition. And, now that the varsity winter teams at Choate are more than halfway through their seasons, teams have either adapted long-time traditions from previous years or come up with meaningful rituals of their own.
Before games, the Girls’ Varsity Hockey team listens to Love Inc.’s “You’re a Superstar,” a practice that the team has done for many years. The team listens to about the first 30 seconds of the song to concentrate and get in the zone. After that, the girls go around the locker room, one by one, adding to the beat set by the first player until the whole team is singing the same beat. Finally, the song ends as the players come together, and they leave the locker room energized for a game.
“This tradition runs deep,” said captain Delaney Dill ’20. “It makes you realize that our program is bigger than its current players, it is also about those who came before us and those who will come after us.”
Even Head Coach Ms. Ashley Bairos ’06 listened to the song and used the same pre-game warm-up when she was on the team more than a decade ago.
Both Varsity Basketball teams have equally creative albeit slightly newer pre-game rituals. Betsy Overstrum ’20, one of the captains of Girls’ Varsity Basketball said, “Jordan Obi [’20] always drinks her protein shake, and I always put my left shoe on first.”
Overstrum added that Indi Delrocco ’21 jumps and grabs the net when the team starts jogging after they are done stretching and that in every pre-game drill, the team always has to end on a made shot. Boys’ Varsity Basketball meditates for one minute to visualize winning the game.
The squash teams follow traditions created by members of the current team. Sam Curtis ‘20, captain of the Boys’ Varsity Squash team, said, “We generally do team introductions and a team huddle.” But players purposely mispronounce teammates’ names or toss out absurd nicknames.
The Girls’ Varsity Squash team tries to eat together before matches. Paley Adelson-Grodberg ’22 said, “We huddle up and make a few jokes, or the captain will say something motivational before our matches.”
Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity Swimming teams perform the same cheers before every game. Captain Parker Scott ’20 has his own ritual of doing the same stretch behind the block, and, if the race is important, drinking some of the pool water. “There really isn’t anything important reason behind why I do drink the water,” he said. “It’s more of a superstition thing, and It puts me at ease in the tense moments before a race starts. Scott added, “I also always stand the same way on the block before every race.”
Girls Swimming Captain Sarah McAndrew ’20 said, “For home meets, while the other team is warming up, we go into the team room and we listen to music and stretch together.” The swimmers then line up wearing their parkas and, while clapping, walk onto the deck and form a circle before performing a final cheer. Additionally, McAndrew said, “Every meet we sing ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ to the divers before they start.”
There is no doubt that some of the ways Choate teams prepare for games are superstitious and lack a clear connection to better athletic performance. However, these pre-game rituals are still important for Choate teams as they allow athletes to focus and feel confident before a competition.
