The anticipation before a game or match is something that all athletes have experienced. Whether the game will lead to scoring a career-high in basketball or coming dead last in a race, there is no way to predict the outcome. Oak Park High School’s athletes want to control their game in every way possible. To do that, they fall back on routine.
Girls tennis player Grace Hu is no stranger to tough matchups. As a freshman on the varsity tennis team, she plays against older, more experienced opponents all the time.
“I like to get into the right mentality,” Hu said. “When I’m mentally prepared I feel like I can win any match.”
Hu’s version of getting mentally prepared is nothing complicated. It is effective in helping her get into the mind space she wants.
“Before a match, I listen to music,” Hu said. “I have a playlist set specifically for pregame.”
While Hu’s routine is simple, freshman cross country runner Malcolm Caughey’s is anything but. Due to his many years of experience running, he knows what it takes to have the best possible race.
“My race routine starts the night before,” Caughey said. “I take an ice bath, have shrimp pasta for dinner and an acai bowl for dessert.”
Caughey’s routine stretches beyond just the night before. He prepares all the way up to the race to ensure that his body is ready for the physical rigor ahead.
“In the morning of race day I have peanut butter toast with bananas,” Caughey said. “I mentally prepare myself for the race by listening to my playlist for an hour.”
Caughey acknowledges that his routine is long, but he proclaims it to be necessary to have a good race. He focuses more on the mental aspect in the minutes leading up to the race.
“As I get ready to line up for the race I recite my goals,” Caughey said. “I then do a breathing exercise and get ready to race.”
Other athletes are much more methodical. Freshman basketball player Emily Oak prefers to keep it simple.
“I don’t have a specific routine or anything special I do,” Oak said. “I do the same things every time but it’s nothing special.”
Oak likes to keep it easy. She does things that she knows she will remember to do.
“I keep my pregame very basic,” Oak said. “I always remember to grab my jersey, stretch and choose a pair of basketball shoes.”
Oak keeps only two pairs of basketball shoes. However, the distinction between them is important to her.
“I wear my Lebron’s on game days,” Oak said. “The Kyrie’s are just for practice.”
Freshman swimmer Tanay Belapurkar also keeps a straightforward routine.
“I don’t really do much on the day of the meet,” Belapurkar said. “Rather, I do more on the day before.”
Belapurkar waits patiently for his race with a minimal warm up before the race. However, he certainly makes sure to prepare early.
“I think eating a good amount of carbs the day before is important,” Belapurkar said. “It gives me energy for the race.”
Every athlete has a unique pregame routine fitted to their personality and sport. The aim is simple—to get into the right mindset and to have your body in the right place. No matter what the routine is, they help the athletes get where they want to be before a big game.
