At Good Counsel, sports are a key part of the school culture and experience. Professional athletes often have rituals they follow before a big competition or superstitions they follow because, psychologically, they associate these habits with concentration and performance or even the outcome of a game.. Our student athletes are no exception.
Ella Berge 28’, fall Cross Country runner, says the Cross Country team warms up together. Then, they get into a huddle and say a prayer. “This is a confidence booster to me as I can be hard on myself when I feel I am not doing well. Cross Country is a mental game and it’s been a tradition [to pray] for a very long time, even before Coach Wavering took over,” said Ella. Before a race, Ella says runners get nervous and they ruminate on thoughts about performance and running for a long time. One thing that helps the nerves, besides team prayer, is the support of teammates. Being together helps a team believe that they can get through the run and the doubt goes away. The Cross Country team had a big invitational meet in North Carolina where all had successful runs.
Jacob Rodriguez 28’, fall soccer player, prays to God before a match. Usually his prayers revolve around avoiding injury and for skillful performance in the game. “Whenever I pray…I feel better about myself, and I feel in a more calm state of mind,” said Jacob. He developed this routine when he first started playing soccer when he was three. In addition to his individual prayers, there’s also a team huddle where they pray together to thank God for where they are and to have a good game. Jacob likes to think that praying will make him play better and connects him to God during his games, which boosts his performance.
Aiden Hansen 28’, fall football player reports a JV football team tradition where players place their arms around each other and take a knee to pray. They also have a chant they say before every game to get hyped up, which is a huge confidence booster according to Aiden. Their team chant, “Ayo Falcons,” is followed up with jumping jacks while spelling out “F-A-L-C-O-N-S!”. Hansen, also known by his teammates as “S.B.G Hansen,” got this nickname because of his defensive skills against the wide receiver at the cornerback position.
Across sports and Varsity or JV team levels, GC student athletes mostly rely on prayer to prepare for their games, which demonstrates how deeply passionate and faith-filled they are.