Boise State's women's soccer team has been hard at work practicing since early July. But now that the official season has begun, they're pulling out all the stops to ensure they win the championship.
The team is flying to California Thursday for their first away game of the season, bringing with them a sense of rock star confidence from a pre-game tradition that is all their own: singing and dancing.
"They get to choose a song. They get to put on the performance that they want to put on, um.... so I think it gives them the chance to express themselves," said head coach Jim Thomas.
Thomas, a musician himself, spearheaded the singing and dancing ritual a couple years ago as a way to warm up before traveling for games.
"It's something where maybe they don't have an opportunity to experience life in that way," Thomas said. "Ya know, they're so in their zones. They do all the things that they're excellent at. Now they've got to get out of their comfort zones and do something they've never ever done before."
And he says there's a methodology behind it.
"To get people to perform at their highest level, and not be fearful of failure." He says he wants his athletes to feel like rock stars when out on the field.
"Some of our best players are not what they are on the park throughout the week. They become something more-- something different. And the game and the crowd and the expectation brings out an alter ego almost."
The boost may prove useful in their very first away games at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
A win would give the Broncos a 2-0 start -- a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 2012. But no matter win or lose, the teammates will always score high in the eyes of each other.
"They're more than just soccer players. And I think this gives them the opportunity to get to know them a little bit more there, but maybe break some of the ice down."
Live video and stats of their games this weekend will be posted on UCSB Athletics on Saturday and Cal Poly on Sunday.
