Matters of the Mind: Superstitions natural part of athlete’s psyche

Most golfers rely on velvety-smooth swings to post lower scores on the course.

B.J. Antill takes it a step further.

Each time he lands on the putting green, he follows the same exact routine – right down to each meticulous detail.

&#8220When I go to mark my ball, I always use a quarter,” explained Antill, a 23-year-old amateur golfer who works as an assistant to the golf pro at the Ellendale Country Club in Houma. &#8220The quarter has to be heads-up, and the bald spot on (George Washington’s) head always has to be facing in the direction of where I want the ball to go.”

But it doesn’t stop there.

Antill always wears a lucky hat on the links, only plays with Titleist 4 golf balls and never rides in Cart No. 13.

They’re all superstitions that have become a natural part of his game.

&#8220Golf is pretty unpredictable,” he said. &#8220That’s why it’s good to have a routine.”

Antill isn’t alone. The landscape of sports is brimming with athletes who look at superstitions as a way to gain a competitive edge.

€North Carolina graduate Michael Jordan always wore his blue Tar Heels shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform during basketball games.

€Many NHL hockey teams grow beards when their teams reach the playoffs.

€Major League Baseball pitcher Turk Wendell is famous for brushing his teeth and chewing licorice between every inning.

The list goes on.

&#8220With superstitions, you’re doing something behaviorally that makes you feel more secure about your circumstance,” said Dr. Eric Duchman, sports psychologist at LSU.

&#8220Depending on how compulsive a person is, it can become something that takes on a life of its own and can actually have a benefit. If it creates a sense of calm and security and that allows a person to focus more on what they’re doing, it can actually have a benefit.”

E.D. White cross country coach Eddie Cole might agree.

During a stretch of six consecutive boys’ state titles throughout the 1980s, Cole donned a green sweater, Ben Hogan cap and a &#8220lucky” pair of corduroys.

&#8220It was kind of a unique style,” he joked. &#8220My wife said I looked like a nerd, but once we kept winning, I had to keep wearing it (the outfit).”

These days, the venerable running boss has won the past five state championships with his boys’ squad.

But that doesn’t mean Cole has returned to his old, unsightly threads.

His runners, however, are a different story.

&#8220For the past few years, the boys have been wearing old uniforms with shorts that are a little too short,” Cole said. &#8220Other teams laugh at us, but we don’t want to get rid of them until we lose.”

Vandebilt Catholic swim coach Duane Ring is at the helm of a boys’ program that has won five consecutive state championships and a girls’ team that has captured three.

Through it all, she’s noticed some unusual habits.

&#8220Some of my swimmers have a certain way of putting on their suits,” she said. &#8220Others will take off their warm-ups (outfits) right before they get on the block and adjust their cap and goggles a certain way each time.”

Monique Lefort, an individual state champion and All-American swimmer with the Lady Terriers, adjusts her goggles seven times before a race.

&#8220I think superstitions are harmless and fun,” Ring added. &#8220But I don’t really delve into them. Heck, I’ll walk under a ladder. It doesn’t bother me.”

Nonetheless, they can be bothersome to some.

While some behaviors can be categorized as superstition, others indicate obsessive compulsive disorder.

This dichotomy distinguishes quirky habits from mental disorders.

Duchman footnotes an example involving former Cleveland Indians pitcher Kevin Rommeburg, who always felt an uncontrollable urge to touch anyone who touched him first.

&#8220I read that one of his teammates (Rich Sutcliffe) touched him under a bathroom stall in the locker room, and he went crazy trying to figure out who it was,” Duchman explained. &#8220If you have a propensity toward an OCD disorder, it can become a problem.”

Randy Boquet parrots Duchman’s sentiments, but the H.L. Bourgeois football coach hasn’t noticed anything too bizarre from his players in spite of the fact they’ve become one of the hottest teams in the district at 6-0.

&#8220I’m sure there are some quirky little things that they’ll do, but nothing major,” he said. &#8220It (superstitions) can become unhealthy if you’re too obsessed. But no harm, no foul.”

That mirrors Antill’s sentiments every time he steps onto the fairway.

&#8220 I think it’s good to try and grab hold of the uncontrollable,” he said. &#8220It’s nearly impossible, but you at least have to try.”

(Photo contributed by CHRIS SCARNATI

• Tri-Parish Times ) BJ Antill never strays from a specific routine he follows when lining up tee shots on the putting green. The amateur golfer believes superstitions can sometimes provide a mental edge.