We all know the intensity of the sports played at San Luis Obispo High School. But what is really behind these championships? Expressions used insider knowledge to crack the code of pre-game sports rituals.

Traditions come in all forms and are not limited to a specific category. Junior Galen Penvenne has been swimming competitively since the age of three. Since then he has had multiple accomplishments such as placing second in the 100 free and sixth in the two hundred individual medley at CIF last year. When asked about unique pregame rituals universal for the sport of swimming, Penvenne said, “there aren’t really any universal pre meet rituals that are different from any other sport.” When asked about any pregame rituals personally performed, Penvenne said, “Before my races I listen to Migos and do my active stretching routines.”

For sports like baseball, it is imperative to form a solid group dynamic. Through activities such as pasta feeds, these athletes not only form bonds but form a brotherhood. This brotherhood must have special rituals unique to their group.

In order to truly understand the diverse rituals and fluidity of the game, Expressions turned to softball to give us some more information on the true inner workings on the field. Expressions asked junior Madi Sandoval what her softball team’s favorite pre-game rituals are. Sandoval said, “Our favorite pre-game rituals are playing hype music before our games and then we do a pump up chant. Whenever we do them it gets us into the mood of the game, and we end up playing our best.”

Each sport is unique––in not only the way it is played––but the dynamics that go on beneath the surface. In the end, though, these pre-game rituals work to help each of our teams succeed.