 |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Kevin Meek |
So in true clich�d coaching fashion, I decided to focus on the next game and hope some sign or omen would point me in the right direction -- and that is exactly what happened.
It was a sun-saturated late afternoon at Fitchburg State College, and we, Westfield State, were playing a very physical, strong conference opponent. As I progressed through my normal pre-game coaching routine (I look at the score board until I can visualize a winning score while whispering the lyrics to �Till I Collapse,� then I set out exactly 35 cones in a predetermined pattern and order for pregame warm-ups, then I review the starting roster and rehearse exactly four potential substitution patterns) a fan wearing a Southwick-Tolland Regional High School sweatshirt and talking about the Southwick �Jog� caught my attention.
We locked eyes for a moment, and then I returned to the game as my team split into two lines and circled half the pitch only to meet each other at midfield with a spirited series of high fives. That was the first sign.
|
Fitchburg's Lauren Wundt |
The next sign came after Fitchburg scored the first goal of the game in the 24th minute. After the goal the Fitchburg players, fans and coaching staff erupted into a celebration reserved usually for playoff matches or special occasions. And it was at that point that Fitchburg coach Bruce Wahlberg took the game ball and suspended play to recognize Junior Lauren Wundt for scoring her 30th career goal and breaking the school�s all-time career goal scoring record. It just so happens that Lauren Wundt hails from Southwick, Massachusetts.
The third sign was a bit unexpected. Three minutes after Wundt�s goal, Fitchburg scored a second goal, which catalyzed an unexpected roster change. I put Kelly Gonet in at target forward. Up to this point Kelly had averaged 5-10 minutes per game at defensive center midfield, but for this game she played nearly 20 minutes in both the first and second halves as forward. And all she did in that time was set up two goals with killer through passes in the first half to tie the game and then score the game winner in the 74th minute with a beautiful header off an equally gorgeous Katelyn MacLellan corner kick --Kelly Gonet also hails from Southwick, Massachusetts.
That sealed it: Southwick HAD TO BE the next team I examined.
Now�before I transcribe interviews with former Southwick players and the current girl�s high school coach, and before we look at the history of this city with its peculiar border and appeal (all of which will appear in a blog to be posted later), and more importantly, before you mock me for relying on signs and superstitions, I�d like for you to consider the role superstitions have always played in decision-making, especially for sports.
Ulysses S. Grant once said, �Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished.� Perhaps Grant�s superstition�s not quite the same as my pregame ritual when I used to play: listen to the Red Hot Chili Pepper�s �True Men Don�t Kill Coyotes� four times, drink four New York Seltzers, and then tape my ankle, making sure to use bits of the tape I saved from my first high school game�but it is still a superstition.
Still not convinced? How about these pregame rituals and superstitions:
|
Laurent Blanc has a tradition of his own. |
Wade Boggs, former Red Sox third baseman, ate chicken before every game and fielded exactly 150 ground balls during pre-game practice, entered the batting cage during practice at exactly 5:17 p.m. and ran wind sprints at exactly 7:17 p.m.
Patrick Roy, possibly the best NHL goalkeeper of all time, spoke to the goalposts throughout a game and never consciously stepped on a blue or red line.
Soccer is fraught with superstition and traditions, all of which probably could help construct a team�s culture and identity. For example, many Nigerian soccer fans say that their team�s international improvements directly coincide with the day a dedicated fan removed a bad luck omen from Senegal�s goal during an international friendly match.
|
Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce (right) and Beanie the Horse (left) (photo: BBC) |
Before each 2006 World Cup match �Mexico�s grand wizard carrie[d] out two rituals a day for the country�s � team, invoking �Holy Death� in front of a plastic skeleton to protect them and bring them luck.� During the 1998 World Cup, French captain Laurent Blanc kissed his goalie�s head before every game.
Several players on my team refuse to purchase new cleats because of superstition (and comfort�which is probably a big part of what gives superstitions their power). John Terry, Chelsea�s center back and captain (and the lone goal scorer for Chelsea as they beat Roma the other day) relieves himself in the same toilet at Stamford Bridge before every home match. And then there�s former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce. He used to place his lucky mascot, Beanie the Horse, in the technical area before and during every match.
|
Map of Southwick |
Pre-game rituals and superstitions, especially as signifiers for larger cultural identities and motivations for soccer teams absolutely fascinate me. In fact, they fascinate me so much I�d like to make a request. Please send me your soccer superstitions and rituals and I�ll publish them.
For example, a player on my team from Southwick listens to the same pop song repeatedly before every match, and somehow this beat translates in the �pop� in her step as she moves with the ball comfortably at her feet. Is this a shared tradition of other Southwick soccer players? Do they share other rituals or superstitions? Perhaps, as we tie together these rituals from throughout the region, we can paint a picture of New England using only superstitions?
AND DON�T FORGET �
Look for Part Two of �Southwick Style� at Soccer-New-England.com on Tuesday.
Where I go depends entirely on superstitions, signs and YOU. So please email me at kevinmeek@yahoo.com with games, times, locations or topics!
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb
|
[?] Subscribe To This Site
|
Return to top