Good Luck Charms and Rowing Unity

I loved racing. Nothing was more exhilarating than going into battle with my boat. I was always a nervous wreck beforehand, but after our boat pep talk from our coach and our boat showing of solidarity, I was ready to go.

I'm a superstitious rower. I can't count the number of times that I have "knocked on wood" to prevent disaster befalling SU equipment (unfortunately it happens anyway) and I had my good luck charms and rituals in order to ensure a good race.

Dad Vails 2005 - Varsity Lightweight 4 - Bow Alyssa Russo, Rachael Gebely, Allison Bankus, Jess Hibbard, and coxswain Lauren Fasnaught

Superstition exists on some level in every sport as a way to demonstrate the belief and confidence an athlete has. Athletes playing on the college or professional levels are competing at the maximum level against others that possess the same skills. Superstitions provide athletes with confidence in their edge over the skills of their opponents.

Michael Jordan always wore his blue UNC shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck. Pitcher Mark Fidrych used to play with the dirt on the mound and talk to himself before every inning. Carl Yastrzemski wore the same pair of socks for seven years. Bruce Gardiner of the Ottawa Sentators ice hockey team used to dip his stick into the toilet before games to teach it respect.

The most memorable good luck charm I had was given to our "Lite 8" by our coxswain Kathy Wulderk.

Knecht Cup 2004 - Lite 8 coxswain Kathy Wulderk

Kathy presented each boat member with "power beads," which were essentially girl's hair ties from Walmart. They were neon hair bands with four colored beads on them. We wore them on our wrists (our outside wrist) for good luck.

Spring 2004 - Rachael Gebely and Alyssa Russo

The elastic is worn out of my two power bead bracelets (one from junior and one from senior year), but I still took one in the boat with me when I raced at Navy Day last fall. We also had orange and maroon hair ribbons. Those were more for team spirit, rather than good luck.

My stroke, Jess Hibbard had this crazy pair of blue tinted Oakley-esque sunglasses. I eventually came to wear an orange tinted pair. I think we wore them regardless of sun, but they were great for making us feel more intense and ready to go into battle. I kind of likened them to horse blinders. I never wore them outside of crew, and they always make me focused and ready to go.

Knecht Cup 2004 - Lite 8 stroke Jess Hibbard

Before every race, our coxswain would start a fist bump from the stern that would travel towards bow, and then switch directions to end back in the stern. It was our way of passing good energy to one another and get in the mood to race.

Often you will see crews wearing matching outfits, homemade individualized t-shirts, nicknames, or selecting a boat name. Be it the "Lite 8," the "FFF's" (Fat Fat Fatties), or the HMSCF - there is no shortage of creative crew names or slogans that embody the spirit of their crews.

Knect Cup 2004 - "We Weigh Enough," Varsity Open 8 - Kimmie Graham, Marisa Chamberlain, Lauren Tanis, Shannon Jolly, and Cate Eytel

Philadelphia Tri-Meet 2010 - Lauren Seamon and "First to the Dock, First to Dinner," Christine Magee

Busfield Regatta 2009 - Joe Klass, Justin Chambers, James Hendershot, Samantha Gromek, and Nick Corridoni

Fall 2009 - Justin Yedibalian, Jon Fellin, and Nick Fritz

Masters of the Susquehanna 2009 - "HMSCF" - Nick Corridoni (captain), Tom Joyce, Chris Chidzik, John Adams, Stephen Hyde, Joe Klass, Tomas Prestamo, Devin Thomas, and Nick Fritz

Whatever the good luck charm or ritual, it can increase both your level of confidence in your preparation and the level of unity you can achieve in your boat. Good luck at Knecht this weekend!

“There’s no right or wrong, but there’s together and not together. And eight guys working together is always going to be faster than eight individuals who are rowing their own race.” – National Team Rower Matt Muffelman