Pregame rituals revealed

By Gabe Taylor

Superstitions and traditions have an impact on sports teams all around the world. Santa Clara's fall sports teams are no exception.

In the locker room, the men's soccer team bands together and performs what senior Aaron Clubb describes as a Brazilian chant.

"I don't think I should tell you what we say," Clubb said with a laugh.

According to the forward, there are four parts ot the chant, three short parts and one longer one. The seniors take the lead and the rest of the team repeats after them.

Clubb said no one on the team knows what the chant means and has heard from multiple sources about possible meanings.

This chant, despite being around for five years, has no clear origin.

Clubb believes that the chant began when a former player, who Clubb suspects to be Ryan Cochrane, overheard it while playing on the U.S. national team.

However, senior Jide Ogunbiyi has heard differently.

Although he is uncertain of the full story, Ogunbiyi was told that the chant was overheard when the 1994 FIFA World Cup took place in the United States.

According to Ogunbiyi, the Brazilian team practiced at Santa Clara, and the chant was then overheard and adopted into the Broncos' pregame ritual.

"Either the guys heard them do it or saw them do it. Somehow they found out about it," Ogunbiyi said.

The men's soccer team uses this chant as a way to come together before each game.

"Every team has a cheer they do before the game," Clubb said. "It's to pump us up, to motivate us."

Although it is primarily done at home, the chant is performed at away games when the team is given a locker room.

"If they give us a locker room, we'll do it," Ogunbiyi said.

In addition to the chant, the team takes time to pray with their coaches before every game.

Many players also have superstitious pregame rituals that they do on an individual basis.

Before the start of the game, Clubb reaches down and sweeps the grass with his hand.

"It's what I've been doing since I was young," Clubb said.

Ogunbiyi holds a superstition of his own as well.

"If my left eye twitches, it's bad luck for me," Ogunbiyi said.

His right eye has just the opposite effect. If it twitches prior to the game, it's a sign of good luck, he said.

"It's been going on for years now," Obunbiyi said. "I can't even remember when it started. My mom has the same thing, so maybe I got it from her."

While the men's team found their pregame ritual in a chant, the women's soccer team has established their's in the form of dance.

"Usually in our locker room, once everybody is ready, suited up and what not, we have a dance," senior Meagan McCray said.

Hip hop music plays in the locker room while the team prepares to step out onto the field.

"It's just the team, we don't include the coaches," McCray said. "It's just to get us pumped up."

The coaches are included in the prayer that takes place before every match.

The volleyball team also uses music and dancing to get themselves pumped up before games.

"We listen to a lot of music really loud," senior Brittany Lowe said.

This ritual has been going on since Lowe was a freshman, when the team listened to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" before almost every game.

"We're trying to instill that again this year," Lowe added.

In addition to blaring music in the locker room, the team warms up by dancing to the songs.

"Usually I'll perform some kind of dance for everybody," Lowe said.

Lowe is also superstitious on the volleyball court. Before most games, she drinks a Rockstar energy drink as part of her pregame ritual.

Another superstition that is visible to spectators is the pink ribbon in Lowe's hair, which has stayed with her throughout all of her seasons as Bronco.

"I have worn a pink ribbon in my hair since junior year of high school," Lowe said.

Santa Clara is home to many athletes and, therefore to many traditions and superstitions as well.

Whether it be chanting, dancing or the twitch of an eye, the Broncos take an active role in maintaining a belief system found in sports around the world.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu.