Team spirit alive in locker room

Some athletes can find pregame inspiration in a pair of socks, a ritualistic mix of songs or some other good luck charm. However, for most Hoosier football players, their inspiration comes from a "higher" source - religion.\nFor some Hoosier football players, spirituality plays a large part in their life - both on and off the field. While some express their commitment through personal prayers, the IU team holds a voluntary gameday chapel session for those in need of metaphysical boost.\nPastor Matt Nussbaum and Father Dan Atkins lead the gameday services for players. Nussbaum said his function within the IU football community is to help the players place the football world into context with their spiritual world.\n"In terms of the gameday chapel, my function is to put the story of football into context into the story of their lives with God," Nussbaum said. "(The chapel)'s trying to help them understand more about God." \nBut to the players and Nussbaum, the last two chapels have done more than just give them inspiration. They have made the players look closer at Jesus and challenge themselves to keep things in perspective. \nFor some, prayer has long been a pregame ritual, stretching back to their days within the high school ranks. Junior linebacker Paul Szczesny said an important part of his pregame routine is to read a prayer he has held since his high school days in Illinois. \n"In my locker I have a prayer that I used back in high school called the Athlete Prayer. I read that before each game," Szczesny said. "The main message of that prayer is asking for help and to play with heart and never lose that heart. That's one of the things I try to keep in my mind throughout the whole game." \nPrayer is not the only spiritual outlet for the Hoosier players, as some choose to speak with departed loved ones. Junior Buster Larkins said he speaks with his grandmother prior to each contest to ask for guidance. \n"I talk to my grandmother before every game," Larkins said. "My grandmother passed away about eight years ago, but I always take a moment out before each game to talk to her. It helps me to know that she's out there with me. I don't go into a game without that."\nPrayers and other spiritual rituals not only serve purely as divine inspiration, but also as a calming force prior to the controlled chaos of the football field. \nSzczesny said his prayer allows him to step back and think about what he has to do during the game. Szczesny said he feels blessed to even be a member of the Hoosier football team.\n"It lets me sit there and get away from everything else. It lets me think about things," he said. "Not everybody gets to (play college football) so, I feel very fortunate to be able to do this and I just sit there and reflect on that."\nWhile Nussbaum and Atkins adhere to the Christian side of faith, Nussbaum said IU coach Gerry DiNardo is respectful to any other faith that might be a part of the IU locker room.\n"Coach DiNardo is very good about respecting the players' beliefs," Nussbaum said. "We all try to be respectful and if there is someone in the locker room with another belief, DiNardo would bring in someone for that. Sometimes I eat with the team and I don't preach at them or anything like that. If they want to talk about it, then I'm there for them."\nMost of the Hoosiers choose to use their prayers on a more personal level; however, some IU players pray together, not only for spiritual unity, but for team unity. Junior linebacker Kyle Killion said one of his rituals is to pray with teammate junior Russ Richardson to help each other before the game. \n"Russ Richardson and I always get together before the game and do a quick prayer," Killion said. "We always do it side by side because it helps us get into the game mode and reminds us that we're going to do this as a team."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.