I've felt strangely out of sorts for the past week or so, and I'm convinced it's a cosmic thing - the stars out of alignment, perhaps? Or perhaps it's all just a lead-up to Friday the 13th. Today. We have another one coming up next month, as well (during IW!).
I don't consider myself a superstitious person, but Friday the 13th always gets to me. When I was in grade school, I had an awful Friday the 13th experience that forever altered my perception of this infamous day.
I remember it started off with me being late for school (so mortifying for a kid - all those eyes on you as you walk in after roll call). That was just the beginning. Right after entering the building, my entire packed lunch spilled out of my Snoopy lunchbox onto the floor by the coat racks outside my classroom. Now I was even more late.
I thought the worst was over ... until it was time for art. As I settled into my seat, bam! Darkness! All of the lights went out in the entire school. As fire trucks arrived on the scene, we were told to bring all of our supplies into the hallway and work on our art projects on the floor, by the outside doors where there was natural light. I was terrified by it all - not to mention, extremely uncomfortable.
Sure, if any of these events befell me now, I'd shrug 'em off, laugh, maybe even enjoy the novelty of it all. At the time, though, it was awful. It was as if some malevolent - or confused - force was at work that day. And indeed, that day was Friday the 13th.
Most of the Friday the 13ths since then have been uneventful ... but it did rear its ugly head again when I was a senior in college. Though some of the details escape me, I recall a bad dream, misunderstandings that would do Three's Company proud, and lots of tears. That only affirmed my longstanding notion that the Friday the 13th superstition isn't just a hoax. To this day, I shudder when I see the date on the calendar.
This reminds me of some renowned tennis player superstitions, like never stepping on the lines between points or not shaving until tournament's end. I stumbled upon a blog article, "Tennis Superstitions - The Weird and the Wonderful" that named some of the more obscure ones (you can find the article here). Here are just a few examples:
[During one tournament], Goran Ivanisevic [sat] at the same table at the same restaurant and [ordered] the same meal of fish soup, lamb and ice cream with chocolate sauce. Ivanisevic also always tries to rise from his courtside chair after his opponent, if he serves an ace he asks for the same ball again, if he wins he then attempts to follow the same routine as closely as possible the following day and he doesn't like to stand on the court lines.
Serena Williams has plenty of habits ... she ties her shoelaces the same way every game, tries to use the same shower before each match and is said to favor the same socks throughout an entire tournament.
Lindsay Davenport would never hold her trophy above her head until she won a Grand Slam. Prior to her US Open win in 1998 she would only ever hold the trophy next to her ear or chest.
Marat Safin is said to always travel with an "evil eye" to ward off evil spirits and bad karma.
I guess superstitions seem to come with the territory when you're a professional athlete. I'll never forget reading about Michael Jordan and his "lucky" North Carolina shorts.
Let's back up for a moment. The practical side of me acknowledges that my lousy Friday the 13th experiences were probably due more to coincidence than anything. Let's face it, I've had plenty of bad luck on days that weren't Friday the 13th, so it's rather foolish to harbor such a superstition. Or any superstition, for that matter. Come on - did MJ really take over the basketball world because of a ratty pair of blue shorts?
But ... I guess we'll never know if it was the blue shorts or not. So as far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out on superstitions. What do you think - are superstitions real or just a load of hooey? What are some of the ones you swear by? Do you have a Friday the 13th story of your own? (Are you wearing a helmet today, like me?)
[A programming note: Make sure to check in tomorrow, when Rosangel will have a fun Valentine's Day post for y'all. Ladies, a gift suggestion - how about giving your sweeties a copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue? I kid! Although everyone should check out the tennis representation here - work it, girls!]
