TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Whether it’s a fortunate shirt, a selected seat, or a pre-game routine, University of Arizona sports activities followers say these traditions present a way of connection, and even perhaps slightly management, over the result of a recreation.
For Ashley Hendrickson, a 2001 U of A graduate, that dedication includes a strict game-day wardrobe ritual.
Ashley Hendrickson
“Oh no, I mean, anything that might sway the game in the Cats’ favor for us to win, I’m pretty much down for it as long as someone is willing to bail me out of jail,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Hendrickson’s lifelong fandom began early.
“I was little, I was really little. My dad and my mom would take me to the games; we had three season tickets,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Over time, that fandom become a routine she follows throughout each males’s basketball recreation.
“The first time I changed my shirt was at the Elite Eight in LA, 2015, when we lost to Wisconsin. And I had taken the shirts, and when we started to lose, I changed the shirts a couple of times. And it worked, and then it didn’t work, so I changed it back,” Hendrickson mentioned.
She says her wardrobe routine isn’t random.
“I always start every game in this outfit. With the same shirt, the same jeans, same socks, same bracelets, same earrings,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Her ritual follows a selected order as the sport unfolds. If the Wildcats begin dropping, she takes issues into her personal arms.
“And I start by taking the left bracelet off, and if that doesn’t make an incredible difference right away, immediately the right bracelets come off,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Sometimes, the timing of these adjustments feels not possible to disregard.
“Then I watch for another 30 seconds and I sit back for another 30 seconds, a minute, see what happens and then I go to this shirt,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Hendrickson remembers a 2024 University of Arizona males’s basketball recreation towards Utah the place she felt her game-day ritual labored.
“We had gone into triple overtime, and I kept changing shirts, and we kept tying the game. And so, but I had gone through all the shirts, and we couldn’t pull away. So, for the third overtime, I actually just went shirtless and sat under a blanket and we won,” Hendrickson mentioned.
Now, the ritual has grown past simply her, with buddies and different followers watching carefully and becoming a member of in.
Ashley Hendrickson
“I will get texts from my friends, ‘Did you take the bracelets off? Are you changing yet? When are you changing? What’s happening?’” Hendrickson mentioned.
While she doesn’t absolutely imagine it controls the result, it makes each recreation really feel extra related.
Ashley Hendrickson
“If anything more, it just brings a sense of community, having something in common. That’s my favorite part about it,” Hendrickson mentioned.
She is taking her routine on the street, heading to Indianapolis Friday to observe the Wildcats play and hoping her rituals carry slightly additional luck.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been transformed to this platform with the help of AI. Our editorial workforce verifies all reporting on all platforms for equity and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she isn’t any stranger to the unforgiving Arizona warmth. Now this U of A wildcat is happy to be again in Tucson and is wanting ahead to involving herself in the neighborhood. Share your story concepts with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
