Very Superstitious, Writings on the Blog

Kayla Tetschlag, a junior forward at Green Bay, is a Women's Basketball correspondent for the HLN Blog.

Superstitions. Every athlete has them. What socks am I going to wear for games? What song should I listen to in order to get pumped up? Should I always lace my right shoe before my left? Clearly, the start of the season means many decisions need to be made.
 
So, maybe you can understand my panic two weeks ago. I was walking on the beautiful UWGB campus from the University Union to the Cofrin Library when something stopped me dead in my tracks: a black cat. Now there are simple, silly superstitions for games and then there are serious superstitions that could damage your life! This was the latter. The cat was ahead of me to my left and I was only repeating one thing in my head over and over: Please don't cross my path. Please don't cross my path.
 
We locked eyes for a solid 15 seconds and neither of us budged. I thought about making a run for it, but this cat and I must've been on the same wavelength because just then it did the unthinkable and crossed my path!

Great, here comes seven years of bad luck. Now I suppose I could've dealt with this, but our basketball team was 3-0 and about to face undefeated, in-state rival University of Wisconsin the next day in an important non-conference match-up. Could this black cat be a sign?
 
Superstitions are serious on our team. One teammate of mine has to make a half-court shot before every game. Another has to wear the same sports bra every game. Mine? I keep it simple. I say the prayer in our huddle before we take the court for warmups. So far this hasn't been a problem, but against South Dakota earlier this season it sure was close. I led the team on the floor without saying the prayer! Luckily somebody remembered, so there we were at half court with the band blaring and me shouting praises to God. But hey, we got it done.
 
The only other tradition I stick to is playing cribbage before every away game. Whether it's on the bus or in the hotel room, Celeste Hoewisch and I take on Heather Golden and Julie Wojta. The game seems to get our competitive juices flowing without wasting too much energy. For the record the series is 2-2, but the season is a marathon and not a sprint, so I wouldn't worry.
 
As for the black cat and its repercussions? Well, we beat Wisconsin the next day. So..........maybe I don't believe in superstitions after all.