By: Elma Oijens Sjoelin
It was not until college that I started reflecting on how I prepare for my soccer games. I never really had a standard routine, but when I came to McKendree, I met other student-athletes who knew exactly what they needed to do to prepare for competitions. I found it interesting how different everyone’s routines were, and after listening to and observing what my friends did to prepare for games, I was inspired to create a routine for myself. I quickly realized that what I did before my soccer games affected my performance, but I also realized that what worked for others did not always do the trick for me. I had to try different things and constantly change my game day routine to find out what worked for me. My game day routine is still a work in progress. To find and share more inspiration, I decided to ask different student-athletes at McKendree what their competition routines and preparations look like.
Fabian Wennerlof is a sophomore from Sweden and plays golf for the McKendree Bearcats. He mentioned that the golf team practices a lot before competitions like every other team. Sometimes the golf team has to travel far for their competitions, and that takes time, but whenever they arrive, the team usually does practice rounds to “get to know” the golf course and prepare for competition. Fabian also mentioned that after the practice rounds, the team goes to a practice arena to finesse specific things they individually need to put a little extra time into practicing before the competition like putting, short game, or range. When they are done with training, the golf team goes back to their hotel to have a team meeting once more before it is time to go to bed. Fabian said that his final preparations before the competition includes resting and making sure he stays hydrated, and sometimes Fabian also marks the balls. By doing all these things, he makes sure he is ready to do his best on the day of the competition.
Maria Vitoria Salomao is a junior from Brazil and she is on the women’s tennis team. Before her matches, she likes to pray because it helps her to feel more relaxed and calm before stepping out on the tennis court. She also mentioned that she usually meditates simultaneously as she prays. Vitoria always plans her tennis strategies before it is time for her match, and she writes it all down in her notes. She also likes to write down what she is feeling and thinking too. Finally, Maria mentioned that she always listens to music when preparing for a match.
Destiny Johnson, a junior from Maryville, Illinois, plays soccer for the McKendree Bearcats. On a game day, Destiny starts the day off by eating something light but filling about two or three hours before the game. To calm herself before the game she, just like Vitoria, listens to some music, so she can focus better and not let her nerves get the best of her. Destiny also tries to fuel up with a banana before the game as it helps her prevent getting cramps in her hips from all the running. Before the game starts, the soccer team meets up in the Athletic Training room in the Fitness Center by Leemon Field. There, Destiny always gets taped by Jessica Henderson, the team’s athletic trainer. If anyone else tapes her, she says that it feels different, and it throws her off during the game. Before the team starts their warm-up, Destiny likes to imagine games she played in the past and reflect on the good and bad things that she did in those games. This gives Destiny confidence, and it gets her excited to play, but it also helps her to focus on things she needs to work on during the game. Finally, during the National Anthem before the game, Destiny admits that she gets nervous because she knows the game is about to start. During that time she likes to pray and thank God for the opportunity to play soccer regardless of the outcome. Praying takes away her nerves because she cannot be anxious and thankful at the same time. Then she is ready to play.
Aria Groot is a sophomore from Canada, and she plays hockey for the McKendree Bearcats. To prepare for games, Aria always eats pasta three hours before game time. She makes her way to the rink so that she arrives about two to two and a half hours before the puck drop. Aria also explained that her team always wears business casual clothes when they arrive at the rink for the “look good, play good,” which is a mantra within sports psychology. Before game time, Aria gets some treatment for an ongoing injury in her shoulder, and she also makes sure to retape her stick right. An hour and fifteen minutes before the puck drop, Aria and her teammates start to warm up off the ice, then Aria does some stretching on her own. She gets dressed for the on-ice warmup, which is about thirty minutes before puck drop. Finally, when the National Anthem is played, Aria places her helmet at the end of the row on the bench, then it is game time.
There are similarities and differences in all of our game day routines, and to find out what best works for you, simply try different things and see how that affects your performance. Of course, sometimes you have to adapt your routine and preparations to align with what might be mandatory team preparations, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to make sure you give yourself the best opportunities to perform at your highest level.
