They take place in the early morning, long before anyone else wakes up. Before the sound of the first whistle. It’s putting the left sock on first, followed by tying the right shoe.

At the center of every athlete’s routine is their pregame ritual. Whether they’re on the court, golf course or in the water, pregame rituals vary for every sport and every athlete.

“I’ll slap myself a lot,” junior swim captain and public health major Andrew Lee said. “It’s all over forearms, biceps, chest and everything. And I don’t know what the science is behind that, but I think it’s a lot of muscle activation getting blood flow to that area.”

After the slaps, Lee makes his way to the blocks. Even though he’s not putting on a sock, he still can’t escape the right-left pattern, so of course, he steps with his right foot first.

Making sure the block is sturdy, he bounces up and down a few times and gives the block a good kick or two. There’s been a few times the blocks have slipped out from under him.

Swimming isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when people think of pregame rituals. Just because Lee isn’t praying on the sidelines before kick-off or putting on the left sock first, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own way of locking in.

The last thing that Lee needs to pay attention to before competing is the way he puts on his goggles — under the swim cap.

“I had this traumatic experience in high school state where my goggles popped off,” Lee said. “Oh, before it popped back on, I hit my head on the wall at the turn, and wall at the finish.”

It’s safe to say Lee always makes sure his goggles are tucked into his cap, slaps himself and follows the pattern of right-left.

Maybe that’s why he finished with season-bests in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly and 200-yard IM last season.

Lee isn’t the only athlete with a ritual. Linfield University’s student population is comprised of nearly 40% student-athletes. With this many students, many of whom take their Division III athletic careers critically, the process of having a pregame ritual is crucial to them, no matter their sport.

For senior exercise science major, Paige Richards, volleyball is her sport. Since taking volleyball seriously in middle school, and playing high school and club, the choice to play at the college level made all the more sense — and became more intense regarding her pregame rituals.

“When I was in high school, my game day ritual for high school volleyball was I’d always get teriyaki. I’d always eat teriyaki for games, which is so weird,” Richards said. “I don’t know why, I thought that feeling super full helped me play better.”

Continuously after every year, Richards’ gameday rituals started to change.

From the simple things like the double dutch braided hair into a low ponytail starting her freshman year evolved to chewing gum her sophomore year and having to have an energy drink her junior year. Richards was always adding something to the mix.

“Then this year, I would say my ritual changed completely,” Richards said. “No more braids. I just do a slick back because it’s easier. While I do my hair, my roommate and I listen to worship music, and we just really try to tune into our faith and have a moment of relaxation. Like, okay, mentally prep, remembering why we play, that kind of a thing.”

She ditched the energy drink too and opted for Liquid IV, anything besides water. And of course, she puts on her game day outfit following the pattern of right first, then left.

Once she steps on the court, with the smack of her gum, three bounces to the ground and a whirl of the ball in her hand, the senior libero is ready to serve her opponents.

These pregame rituals can span more than the time frame before a big game, they can even be incorporated into everyday life and practice.

For senior political science major and golfer Zack LaPlaca, not much is done before a big tournament — except drinking decaf coffee. The quirk for LaPlaca is that for life in general, he carries around tees, ball markers and divot tools in his pants, like a mechanic carrying around his tools.

On the table in front of him, he laid out a spread of 12 tees, 14 ball markers and two divot tools. Ball markers can weigh anywhere from 11-14 grams. Pair that with two 28-gram divot tools and a handful of tees, it’s like LaPlaca is carrying around his own mini golf accessory store in his pockets.

“When I first started playing golf it was kind of like my first ritual was every tournament I would put eight tees in my pocket and ball markers,” LaPlaca said. “But then I played so much golf, eventually, every day, I just started putting tees and ball markers in my pocket.”

It continues to be the first thing in his pocket every morning before class.

“I don’t know why,” LaPlaca said. “I’m just a weird person.”

While they differ for everyone, a set ritual is key to success in the eyes of many Linfield athletes. The pressure of games and tournaments can be mind-boggling.

And this goes for professional athletes as well. With stadiums of thousands of fans, the pressure can be overwhelming.

For NBA player Lebron James, his iconic chalk clap is a way to hype his fans and himself up before a game, a tradition that can be dated back to 2003. And for professional golfer Tiger Woods, wearing red during final rounds is a ritual he’s been doing since his junior golf days.

At least Linfield’s student-athletes aren’t like former MLB player Jason Giambi, who is rumored to have worn gold thongs to get out of a baseball slump.

No matter the division or level, a set ritual is common among athletes.

“I took a sport psychology class last year and we talked about how routines are good for you,” Richards said. “It genuinely mentally prepares you.”