TORONTO – A video of Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke warming up with a dance routine prior to a race in Barcelona earlier this month has gone viral.
The video shows Jenneke hopping, wiggling and shaking her hips prior to her performance during the IAAF World Junior Championships. Sport blog “With Leather” was first to post an unedited version of the lively-routine, which was quickly replaced with a slow-motion version set to upbeat dance music. The 19-year-old may have missed the cut to compete at the London Olympics, but she can still celebrate her instantaneous Internet fame that has earned her over 11,185,000 video views on YouTube.
Although it’s unclear whether Jenneke’s routine is a regular ritual before her races, her pre-race performance is far from being the first of its kind to garner worldwide attention. Global News takes a look at other unique (and quite frankly absurd) pre-game routines that have made athletes symbols of odd superstitions and fans question the hygiene of their favourite sport idols.
Pee hands
Some baseball players wear gloves to improve their grip on the hands; others simply urinate on them.
In an interview with ESPN’s Gary Miller in 2004, Major League Baseball outfielder Moises Alou admitted to peeing on his hands to harden his skin and avoid calluses. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada divulged he did the same. And while three World Conferences on urine therapy say consuming one’s own pee boosts the immune system,* most experts will agree that a major component found in urine called urea actually softens the skin rather than hardening it.
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Toilet dunks
Baseball players aren’t the only ones who get inspiration for their pre-game rituals from bathrooms.
After failing to score a goal in 14 games as a rookie, now-retired NHL player Bruce Gardiner was supposedly advised by his Senators teammate Tom Chorske to dip his (hockey) stick in a toilet bowl. Gardiner made the dunk, scored two goals the same night and proved that children aren’t the only ones who have fun poking poop with a stick.
Chicken dinner for a winner
Former Red Sox star Wade Boggs liked chickens. A lot. The Hall of Fame third baseman used to eat the fowl before every game. Prior to every bat, Boggs would also draw the Hebrew word chai, meaning “life,” into the dirt-a ritual that makes us hope had a spiritual reference rather than a morbid and ironic suggestion to the poultry he just consumed.
*Global News reporters are not medical professionals but advise anyone interested in urine therapy to speak to a doctor.
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