Game day routine impacts volleyball team's play
By Lisa Porter
The average Bronco fan arrives at games roughly half an hour before a match starts. Athletes, however, begin their routine when many of us haven't even hit the snooze button.
The women's volleyball team has its own game day routine. Last Thursday's WCC opener proved no exception, and the Broncos gave a glimpse as to what life is like for the ninth ranked team in the nation.
Thursday began early, as the team had to be at Leavey at 9 a.m. for a light practice.
Freshmen are required to arrive early in order to set up the court. After practice, the team watched the game film and went over the scouting report of their opponent, Saint Mary's.
Before the team departed for Moraga, senior Kim McGiven set aside some time for her typical game day lunch: a sweet potato with brown rice, black beans, tofu, salad and a lot of water. McGiven eats that instead of the typical Benson lunch of burritos or cheeseburgers.
Freshman Lindsy Evans has an interesting routine. Because she is so pressed for time throughout the day, she doesn't get much time to do her makeup. So before each game, Evans stands in front of the mirror and puts some on to get herself prepared. Like the old saying goes, you can't play good if you don't look good.
During the car ride to Moraga, some members of the team took part in the in-car dance party, while others, such as McGiven and Caroline Walters, sat in the back of the van and tried and knock off some annoying homework assignments.
"You always want to stay in a certain area where you're not too pumped up and not too relaxed. So sometimes I just try to get a gauge of where I am and make adjustments," said McGiven.
Other players find that sometimes it's just a lot easier to forget everything and rely on instinct.
"I've just gotta go out there and play. I know a lot of people try to think about things that we learned but for me that doesn't really help. It gets me too focused and then I can't concentrate so I just go out there and play," said Evans.
Perhaps the most unique part of the team's ritual is their entirely choreographed performance of "Bojangles." They have a disco ball in their team room in the Leavey Center and perform -- for themselves -- before every game. The dance is a team activity that brings everybody together.
"We stop the music a few minutes before we go out and we write down goals. There are always three or less and the first goal is always to win," said McGiven.
Although a recent loss to unranked Saint Mary's took some wind out of their sails, the Broncos learned from their loss and used it to their advantage that Saturday against San Francisco. The Broncos took the match 3-1 and currently sit at 1-1 in West Coast Conference play.
Contact Lisa Porter at (408) 551-1918 or lporter@scu.edu.