As sophomore Richard Zhang walks out to the lacrosse field, he anticipates his second season on varsity. Zhang looks to physically and mentally better himself to prepare for his sophomore campaign this spring. The program is relying on Zhang this season as many key players graduated after his freshman year, and he doesn’t want to let them down. To prepare for the season, Zhang has made one key purchase, his brand new custom lucky gloves. Lucky items have a prominent presence in athletics spanning every level of competition, from little league games to the professional level. Nevertheless, most athletes have something they use when they need to perform well, whether to help them focus or purely for luck. It is similar to how students will use a specific pen or have a specific trinket on them for an important test. These items can be anything, whether sports-related or not. Some examples are mouthguards, wristbands or just something as simple as a necklace or shirt.
For some, these items that they hold on to have become something to symbolize hope and perseverance. A great example of this is famous women’s tennis player Serena Williams. She always uses the same pair of socks for every match and “to Serena, it has become a symbol of routine and perseverance,” (Wilson 2013).Another example is Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, after dropping a career-high 53 points. Edwards met with a six-year-old fan, Luca, who has leukemia. Edwards signed the boys jersey and poster while also having a conversation with Luca and his family. At the end of the interaction, Luca handed Edwards an orange bracelet that wrote “Love Like Luca.” Edwards vowed to wear this bracelet for the rest of his career, in honor of Luca and his battle with leukemia. In the very next game, Edwards followed up his career high performance with another astonishing one, tallying 37 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in a win over the Clippers. Edwards has continued his dominance and is looking forward to joining the 2025 West All Stars this February, and it’s safe to say Luca’s gift to him had a positive impact on his game.
An example of someone at Paly who relies on an item is sophomore and lacrosse player Richard Zhang, who wears his lucky gloves for every lacrosse game. The gloves are special to him, as they have a custom smiley face design on the cuff of the glove.
“I needed something to keep my head in the game,” Zhang said. “It helps me forget about my mistakes quickly, and helps remind me to hype up my team.”
For Zhang, in order to succeed, you need to keep your head in the game at all times.
“Our coach always mentions that lacrosse is considered the fastest sport on two feet,” Zhang said.
As a Freshman on varsity, Zhang found the back of the net 17 times, while also assisting other goals 10 times, playing a key role in the program’s two CCS playoff wins against Carmel and Live Oak. Zhang led all freshmen in goals in the Peninsula Bay League last year, and is currently striving to have a larger role in the offense for his sophomore campaign.
Zhang’s biggest goal for this upcoming season is to beat Menlo Atherton as well as Los Gatos, as they are two of Paly’s biggest rivals who beat the boys lacrosse team last year.
Another example is freshman Kaleb Osotonu, who wears a special back plate dedicated to his friend and teammate for every football game and practice. A backplate is an extra pad some football players wear that hangs off the back of their shoulder pads, and can often have flags or inspirational quotes written on it. “I wanted to honor my friend, who was on the football team at the start of the season, but had to leave for personal reasons,” Osotonu said. “The backplate had number 23 on it to honor him since he wore number 23 at the start of the season.”
As a freshman on junior varsity, Osotonu racked up 62 total tackles, seven of them being for loss, along with 303 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns, all while repping his lucky backplate. Osotonu is looking to make varsity as a sophomore and improve from his successful freshman campaign.
Another example of an athlete who utilizes a lucky item is senior and varsity swimmer Nicolas Ogawa. At meets where he is expected to perform, he likes to wear his racing-specific goggles.
“I think of it as a good luck charm that helps me do well in races,” Ogawa said. “Whenever I’m not wearing it, I feel like I’m not ready to go fast.”
Unlike his practice goggles, which tend to create drag and resistance in the water, his racing goggles ensure that he feels sleek and comfortable during a race.
“I chose it specifically for how it looks and how it feels when I am racing,” Ogawa said.
At less important meets, Ogawa sometimes uses his practice goggles and immediately feels a difference in his confidence levels. His racing goggles have become both a lucky charm and a symbol of confidence.
“When I’m racing without my better goggles, I subconsciously feel less confident with myself,” Ogawa said. “On average, I can cut between half a second and a full second from my best event, the 100-yard back, with my racing goggles.”
With Ogawa, it is clear that his racing goggles have an impact on his performance and show the impact that a charm like his can have on an athlete’s performance.
From back plates to goggles, there are many examples of people using or wearing a trinket in Paly athletes and, whether it helps or not, people have them either for their sentimental value, personal significance or as a simple source of superstition. Whatever the reason may be, we can see that trinkets can give a mental boost to the athlete from the examples we see at Paly. After constant use, a lucky charm can become a symbol of routine and perseverance.
Ultimately, whether they truly bring luck or not, these items reflect the hard work and dedication that an athlete puts into a sport, the aspects that define the heart of competition.
