From hosting badminton potlucks to avoiding the foul lines of a field before a baseball game, Aragon’s sports teams all have their own traditions that help players build chemistry and prepare for games.
Superstitions are often used to help athletes get into the flow, or have a completely clear and focused mind, because they give players a sense of normalcy. This normalcy gives athletes comfort in stressful situations such as knocking down game-winning free throws in a basketball game or stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in a tight baseball game.
“I don’t know if [superstitions] necessarily help you to perform better,” said varsity baseball coach Lenny Souza. “I believe that they might help you get to a mental state that’s calm and focused, and I think that can help athletes perform better.”
Though superstitions can help with the players’ mindsets, players also bond with each other through long practices, gritty competition and their drive to win. Senior pitcher and outfielder Ryan Fernandez believes that competition is the foundation of bonding a team.
“We’re competing as a team for a goal and an opportunity to win a championship, or whatever we desire,” Fernandez said. “Winning and losing really just brings us all together regardless of the outcome.”
One tradition that the Aragon badminton team has is its annual potluck.
“Everybody always looks forward to [it],” said badminton coach Linda Brown. “It’s a big thing.”
The players on the badminton team look forward to their potluck as it’s a nice farewell to the seniors, but also because it helps the underclassmen feel closer to their fellow players. Each year, the underclassmen pick out farewell gifts for the seniors. The gift buying process helps bond the underclassmen since they have to be creative in coming up with a gift idea on a set budget and also make sure the gift is sentimental.
“I think the potluck is pretty fun [with our] … traditions,” said senior singles badminton player Victoria Ly. “The seniors usually get Ms. Brown a gift and the underclassmen usually get the seniors posters … so it’s a good way to wrap up the season.”
Many teams at Aragon also have bonding events at the beginning of the season such as bowling nights and gift exchanges. Although these events help teammates become closer, they pale in comparison to the athletes’ shared love of the sport.
Superstitions, competition and program traditions all help athletes improve their mindsets and grow closer with one another. Specifically, superstitions help with athletes’ in-game compartmentalization and improve their overall psyche. Competition strengthens team chemistry as players see each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and are able to use them to pick eachother up and improve. Program traditions give the players things to look forward to and bonds teams together.
All three of these aspects of team bonding are crucial to sports programs because they potentially help with overall team performance and give players many long-lasting memories.
