The feeling before a game can include numerous emotions.
For instance, some players talk about getting “butterflies” in their stomachs, or some of them experience quickened heartbeats. No matter what feeling players get before the game, it is good to have those feelings because it shows that they care about the game.
Before the game, professional basketball player Steph Curry always walks to the halfcourt and then runs to the basket, chops his feet, and proceeds to walk to the locker room to get prepared for the game.
When asking athletes around the school about what they do before games and the feeling they get, the answers certainly vary.
“Before a wrestling match, I always get very nervous, and I feel like my stomach is about to drop, so I pace a lot before the match to try to calm myself a little bit, but it hardly works,” sophomore Peyton Sardina said.
Sometimes, just listening to music before the game can even help relieve a lot of stress and help get some of those weird feelings out.
“My favorite song to listen to before a football game is Friday by Ice Cube,” Dreyden Smith said.
Brooke Gregory, on the other hand, enjoys any type of music as long as it is uplifting and can hype her up.
Having those feelings before a game or event can show that they care about what they are doing. Nothing is worse than feeling like a player did not contribute to the team as much as they could, regardless if their team loses or wins.
For some, they just sit down and think about their assignment going into that game and what they need to do to take home the victory.
“Music helps me sometimes, but for the most part, I just like to think in my head about what I’m gonna do and what I need to do to win in the long run,” senior Roan Reilly said.
The adrenaline before a game is the craziest part. There can be so many thoughts going through one’s head before a game. What can a player do to try to stop themselves from listening to those voices?
“I just sit there listening to my music and lock in,” Lovie Weil said. “I think about how I can physically and mentally dominate my opponents and find their strengths and their weaknesses.”
For many, sports are just an extra activity they can do out of school or something that they can do to stay in shape. For some, sports are almost like a lifestyle. For some, they base their attitude and everyday life on how well they perform at their selected sport.
“I feel like I find myself sometimes basing my attitude on how well I perform in football,”Carter Vanek said.
At the end of the day, sports are meant to be enjoyable, but what separates the good from the great is how well they can control their attitude and effort before participating.
