For many U-High athletes, music is a key part of their pre-game ritual. Whether it’s getting hyped up for a big match, calming nerves on a bus ride, or manifesting a winning mindset, they each have their own right playlist that makes a difference in their performance. Here’s what some U-High students are listening to before they hit the field, court, or diamond.
Arlo Temelko-Post, sophomore:
varsity baseball, JV soccer
“Gatti” – Pop Smoke & Travis Scott
“Mad City” – Kendrick Lamar
“Hot” – Gunna & Young Thug
“On a bus ride it can help me just kind of mellow out, and then right before a game it can get me in the right mindset to perform as well as I want to. It just helps me really lock in.”
Noah Runesha, senior:
varsity basketball
“Outfit” – Lil Baby
“Used to This” – Future
“Who I Smoke: – Yungeen Ace
“Music just helps me lock in because it’s such a big part of my life already. I listen to music all day, so when I listen to certain songs before a game, it helps me lock in. I think music helps me play better overall because it helps me enter the game with a better mindset.”
Ella Nguyen, ninth grader:
fencing
“California Gurls” – Katy Perry
“Don’t Stop the Music” – Rihanna
“Freed from Desire” – Gala (or remix version)
“It makes us feel good about ourselves and, you know, it gets us hyped for our practice or a game. It just gives us confidence and makes us perform better and keeps us focused on our goal instead of getting distracted.”
Neha Dhawan, senior:
golf
“Speak Now” – Taylor Swift
“Fearless” – Taylor Swift
“The Story of Us” – Taylor Swift
“I think it helps me definitely feel motivated because there are songs that I listen to repeatedly, and it reminds me of good matches. I kind of listen to ‘Speak Now’ after wins, so sometimes listening to it before feels like manifesting, and it definitely gets my head into a space that it’s been in previously when I’ve been performing well.”
Ben Troutman, senior:
varsity baseball
Mmhmm – BigXthaPlug
The Largest – BigXthaPlug
Meet the 6ixers – BigXthaPlug
“I listen to many genres and artists outside of baseball but before games one of my go to artists is BigXthaPlug. His music just has something about it where it gives me a ton of energy — exactly what I need after a day of school.”
