By Maggie Samole and Aaron Weitzman / Contributing writers
Though four leaf clovers and horseshoes are common good luck charms, athletes usually put their luck in something a little different.

Not stepping on the base line, listening to a certain song before a game, or even sitting in the same spot on the bench are just some rituals and superstitions that athletes have.

With this Friday, being Friday the 13th, local college athletes talked about their superstitions.

“I always jump over like the baselines when I’m pitching,” said Paul Altmyer, a sophomore pitcher for the UPG Bobcats. “I like to do the same things and sit in the same spot between innings.”

So why is it that athletes have superstitions? Is it because they feel like it’s brought them good luck or is it because if they don’t do it, they’ll have bad luck?

“I don’t know. I just feel like if I’m doing well and I’ve been sitting in the same spot I want to keep sitting there so I don’t get out of my rhythm,” Altmyer said.

Jessica Tintera is also superstitious when it comes to sports. A UPG soccer player, she says she would never play in a game without wearing her lucky orange socks.

“I’ve had them for so long they’ve got holes in them, but I won’t throw them away,” she explained.

Tintera has a lucky jersey number as well. After wearing uniform number 2 in high school, she switched to 17 and 14 during her freshman and sophomore years. This year, she returned to her lucky number and she says she is “definitely doing better this year.”

There are some cases where superstition becomes truly irrational. Dan Patterson, a baseball player at Seton Hill University, guesses that he is superstitious, but says it goes beyond that.

“It’s more obsessive compulsive, especially when it comes to sports. To somebody else it may not seem important, but I don’t want to risk it,” Patterson said.

Ranging from how he addresses the pitching rubber, to his socks, to how he sets his glove down in the dugout, Patterson’s experiences seem to justify his obsessive actions.

“I wore this pair of black socks to practice two days in a row and the first day I was hit by a soccer ball. The second day I was hit in the face by a baseball. I refuse to wear them again,” Patterson said.

From rally caps to playoff beards to orange socks, superstitions are a big part of sports. So the next time you’re watching your favorite team, before you change seats or don’t wear the same shirt or jersey, think about it. You don’t want your team to have bad luck.