PREPNET / SPEAK OUT

LINDSEY NELSON

Villa Park, Tennis

I can be pretty superstitious. If I win a point with one ball, I usually play the next point with the same ball. There’s always the lucky outfit. If win a big match with a certain outfit, I’ll have my mom wash it all week until I lose.

NIKKI BARTON

Ocean View, Softball

The one thing that I do is I have to wear my same undershirt beneath my jersey. I played a really good game at the Laguna Hills tournament at the beginning of the year, and every time I wear it, I feel I can make a good play or play a good game. I also have to swing twice before every pitch when I’m at bat.

NATALIE BRAVERMAN

Newport Harbor, Tennis

When I play, I bring a towel to wipe sweat off my racket grip. If I lose a match with that towel, I’ll throw the towel away. I always wear the same bracelet and necklace whenever I play. I feel kind of incomplete without them.

CHRIS WILCOX

El Toro graduate,

Cross-country

No. Some people like to eat a certain meal, like pasta. They really prep themselves. I just eat a normal meal, do what I would normally do during the day,because I like feeling more natural before I go out there and run.

CORY VANDERHOOK

Edison, Baseball

The night before a game, I always watch Major League Baseball’s “All-Century Team” video. And I listen to the same CD, Steve Springer’s “The Mental Side of Hitting,” before I go to sleep. On game days, I wear my game stirrups under my jeans at school. Me and catcher Zach Nilsson take our hats off before the game and hang them on the farthest right hook in the dugout. We did it one time by coincidence, and we had a good game. It’s stuck ever since.

MATT BRUNO

Trabuco Hills, Track

I’m a Christian so I pray before every race and thank God for my health because I don’t want to take anything for granted. Before I get in the blocks, I try to make myself nervous because it makes me run faster.

NEXT QUESTION

How will you prepare this summer for competition next year? Will you rest, or perhaps train even more intensely?