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Do you have any Track and Field Superstitions? Hallowe’en is around the corner!
I used to always wear black and yellow sweat pants and sweatshirts. Why? Because they are the colours of a Tiger. The last time I checked, tigers were fast animals. (I stole the idea from a Rocky movie)
I also wore a T-shirt of a giant razor blade with the words “the edge” on the bottom. That was my edge.
Of course, I always washed them after every meet.
Some athletes have bizarre rituals and superstitions. From rabbits foot to 4 leaf clover lucky charms.
And let’s not forget the night time bedroom habits, though this is a family friendly site.
The Harrison Dillard Story
In 1948, USA’s Harrison Dillard failed to qualify in his specialty, the 110mH, but he did make the team in the open 100 meters (NOTE: speed helps in all your track events!)
In the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he finally won his 110mH gold medal.
The interesting story is from 2nd place finisher USA teammate Jack Davis who clipped the 9th hurdle.
At the Olympic Village, Jack Davis shared a room with shot putter Parry O’Brien and javelin thrower Cy Young.
After O’Brien won the gold medal wearing a sweatshirt because of the cool weather conditions, he loaned it to discus thrower Sim Iness, who also won the gold medal. It was then passed around to Young, who won the javelin gold medal.
Good Luck or Bad Luck Superstitions?
3 wears and 3 gold’s.
By the time it got to Davis, it was smelling pretty bad and became a bit oversized and stretched by these three big men.
So Jack Davis didn’t wear the sweatshirt and won a silver.
Maybe, just maybe, had Jack Davis wore that smelly sweatshirt, he might have won the Gold medal?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not taking anything away from Harrison Dillard’s Gold medal. But when you have a strong superstition, sometimes you have to go with gut instinct.
What are your Track and Field Superstitions? Do you have any good luck or bad luck superstitions?
Jimson Lee
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I once foud a little toy in grass during a hard training session.It was a figurine of a super-hero,made of plastic,measuring 3-4cm.I took it and I put it between the boot lace and the material which the show it`s made of.I had one of the best training session from the last few weeks in that day.
I was very happy that I found that little figurine (I called it “Pookie”) that was running with me.I had many good training sessions during the last few weeks until…
I was running on a hill when I realised that Pookie was missing,probably lost somewhere,he had probably slipped away from my shoe.
From that day on,I get injured,I felt almost anytime tired and I never felt the same as a few weeks ago.