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Facial hair and crystals? Olympians share pre-game superstitions

It’s Friday the 13th, and while some see it as an unlucky day, we see it as an excuse to ask Olympic hopefuls about their pre-game rituals and superstitions – crystals and all.  Skier Billy Demong says he used to be superstitious about which ski he put on first, but later grew out of that. Snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who describes herself as “earthy” says she always has crystals on her fo

It’s Friday the 13th, and while some see it as an unlucky day, we see it as an excuse to ask Olympic hopefuls about their pre-game rituals and superstitions – crystals and all.  

Skier Billy Demong says he used to be superstitious about which ski he put on first, but later grew out of that. Snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who describes herself as “earthy” says she always has crystals on her for “earth energy.”

And while Paralympian Heath Calhoun says he’s not superstitious, he has been growing out his beard in preparation for a win at Sochi.

“It’s a silly thing that I came up with last year,” Calhoun told TODAY.com. “I thought about the movie ‘The Program’ and Lattimer in ‘The Program’ used to paint his face up to intimidate, and I thought maybe I could grow the beard out, put up a Norse Viking look, and kind of scare my way into victory.”

And snowboarder Torin Yater-Wallace told us that he’s a little superstitious about the music he listens do while in competition – the song and artists he’s listening to while on a losing run get cut from the playlist.

“I don’t listen to Taylor Swift anymore,” he told TODAY.com. “The last time I did I got a concussion.”