by Jenna Black | published December 15, 2016

Many BU athletes have their own unique pre-competition rituals that they believe help them perform at a high level. For this multimedia project, three prominent Baker athletes shared their specific superstitions.

Jamie Steury - Cross Country
Gloria Mares - Track
Sydney Buchel - Basketball


Cross Country

JAMIE STEURY - MUSTACHE

"I decided to grow a mustache for indoor conference my freshman year and I had a really good race, so I decided I was going to keep doing that for every conference race."

Jamie Steury is a senior long distance runner from Olathe, Kansas. Steury qualified individually for the national meet his junior season while posting a personal best of 26:25 in the 8K race. In the following audio slideshow, he explains why he grow a mustache before his most important races:



Track

GLORIA MARES - WARM-UP HABITS

"It's just the feeling that if I did well the last time, then I should keep doing what I'm doing."

Gloria Mares is a sophomore sprinter from Andover, Kansas. During her freshman season, Mares qualified for the national meet in the 200-meter dash. Mares clocked in at 24.6 for her personal best. In this audio slideshow, she describes her meticulous pre-race customs:



Basketball

SYDNEY BUCHEL - PREGAME ROUTINE

"I remember doing all these things before my very first high school game, and it went really well. So ever since then I kind of felt like I had to do it every time in order for me to play well."

Sydney Buchel is a 5-10 senior forward from Katy, Texas. Buchel helped propel the Wildcats to the 2016 NAIA national championship game. Buchel averaged six points and five rebounds per game during the Wildcats' 2015-16 season. Using the interactive graphic and accompanying audio, you can learn more about her pre-game routine: