Superstitions

Whereas I've ever really been the superstitious type it's definitely something you will always find around you in sport and the topic was recently sparked by one of my athletes asking about any superstitions I adhere to. I actually remember in Little League I was jealous that the pro guys were superstitious so I thought that i should be too and thus took a Winchester Mystery House coin and put it in my shoe during a game "for good luck." Most painful game ever.
Being a huge over-thinker, rather than having superstitions I just get incredibly OCD about my preparations. I have to have the right breakfast, I have to do the right thorough warm-up (and spend way too much time doing it), my shoes always have to be tight enough, but never too tight and if one must be re-tied I can never not re-tie the other because it will then feel too loose in comparison to the newly tied shoe. I always have to put on a fresh jersey before my first event so I can never warm-up with it on. When vaulting (a whole 'nother story when it comes to superstitions and OCD behavior) I have to ensure that my entire hands are completely covered in chalk right before I step on the runway. If there is then an interruption in my pre-approach routine or if I have to wait too long to jump, I almost always have to re-chalk my hands.

But I guess there are a few things that might qualify:
1. If possible I always pack a box of honey wheat Wheatables crackers for every decathlon. This goes back to college when a teammate and I always brought these to meets. I don't even eat them half the time, but I always like to have them - it reminds me of the good ol' days with my UC Davis team and our multi-event trips. My coach usually ate more of them then we did (and then tried to get us to go to Carl's Jr every day because his wife (our other coach) wouldn't let him eat it at home).
2. I always down a Boost shake after the final days event in a decathlon - this if for recovery tho, so chalk it up to OCD.
3. If possible, I always shower right before the 1500 meters. This I got from Phil McMullen (friend, training partner, hero to all man) and I have PR'd in the 1500m every time I've been able to find a shower since.
4. In one of my first college decathlons, American Record Holder Dan O'Brien was competing with us and he was the first one to approach me after the 1500m - which is a big deal to a decathlete. I had my hands on my knees and was debating falling over when he came up to me and said: "Stand up. Americans never lay down after the 1500." I can hear him say that the moment I cross the line every time I finish a 15 and thus I don't lay down.