By Tyler Park ’14, Sports Editor

Every year, on a magical Sunday in April, a new man dons a green jacket.  This may sound unremarkable, but it is the representation of decades of history and tradition.  It is the ultimate mark of a champion, the garment of the man who has conquered the renowned Augusta National Golf Club and won the Masters, the world’s most prestigious golf tournament.  This year Adam Scott earned his first green jacket, becoming the first Australian ever to win the Masters by burying a clutch putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Argentina’s wily competitor Angel Cabrera.  But the result of the tournament is almost secondary to the mystique and excitement that are associated with this event.   Most of all, the Masters tournament represents an example of one of the greatest facets of sports: tradition.

Tradition can be found throughout the world of athletics.  Ranging from hallowed rituals to the quirky superstitions, athletes everywhere count tradition as a part of their daily lives.  The Masters is a perfect example of the importance of tradition in sports.  It is the only one of the four majors that is played at the same course, Augusta National Golf Club, and it begins each year with a ceremonial tee shot.  At Newark Academy, every athlete and every team has its own traditions.   On the golf team, after every match, the player with the worst score on that day has to carry head coach Robin Curtis’s bag.  “It’s good because it makes you feel bad and motivates you to work harder for the next time,” said junior team member Jake Wieseneck.

On some days at the end of swim practice, head coach Bill Blomn will let his team take part in what they call the “get out” swim, when coach Blomn gives a swimmer (or group of swimmers) an extremely difficult task.  Upon successful completion of the task, the team is allowed to end practice early.  “It’s fun,” said team member Esther Neibart ’14.  “During the get out swim, every team member who is not participating is screaming at the top of their lungs out to support their teammates.  Everyone feels a sense of team unity and happiness.”

Athletic traditions can serve a number of purposes.  At The Masters, the traditions add a unique aura to the tournament.  “I’d say the most important thing about The Masters is the tradition.  Because of traditions like the green jacket, the Masters is special and unmatched by any other tournament,” said Wieseneck.  Many athletes at Newark Academy engage in traditions for a variety of other reasons.  Some athletes have superstitions.  The baseball team’s sophomore shortstop Nick Martino plays every game with a Derek Jeter baseball card in his back pocket. Nick also carries another Jeter card in his wallet, and sleeps with a Jeter bobblehead on his headboard.  “I aspire to be like Derek,” he says. “I’m hoping his good luck will rub off on me.”  But Nick is not the only one with a few quirky traditions.  Many teams have silly traditions geared towards entertainment and enjoyment.  The girls’ soccer team has its freshmen put on a talent show every year during their preseason trip to Brewster.  The Academy field hockey team creates alliteration cheers based upon the name of their opponent on that particular day.  “Crush Cranford” and “Whip Whippany” are examples of these cheers.  “Our traditions change a little every year, but the cheers are always fun for us, “ said junior Maia Yoshida, a leading goal-scorer for this year’s Minutemen squad.

The Masters tournament is renowned for its exciting endings and incredible shots.   What truly sets it apart, however, is its tradition.  Tradition is one of the most under appreciated aspects in sports; whether it is for team bonding, the establishment of an identity, or simply pure enjoyment, teams and players take a unique comfort in tradition.  From high school sports to the highest levels of professional sports, tradition plays an even larger role than it seems on the surface.  That’s what makes the Masters so special, and that’s why athletes are often so superstitious.   From the “get out swim” to the green jacket, traditions add a new element to the world of sports, and anything with that capability should be welcomed with open arms.