Many athletes have good luck charms like a necklace with sentimental value or a pair of lucky socks or pre-competition rituals. As the Southmoreland boys basketball team prepared to enter the WPIAL playoffs this year, they found their own unique “good luck charm.”

Perms.

Two members of the team, senior Tyler Nelson and junior Dylan Eicher, had a “spa day” complete with perms from Denise Schwartz, mother of teammate Tanner Schwartz, and pedicures the night before Southmoreland’s first round playoff game.

“I felt like a princess,” said Nelson about this “spa day” at the Schwartz’s.

Nelson had the idea to get perms for the playoffs. He was inspired by the “playoff beards” that fellow senior players Michael Moresea and Tommy Pisula were growing alongside their coach Frank Muccino.

“Us guys who can’t grow the manly scruff wanted to contribute and see our team advance,” said Nelson.

One still might question: “why perms though?”

Schwartz used to have a perm when he was younger, and Nelson and Eicher saw playoffs as the perfect opportunity to “bring it back.”

Since getting their perms, Nelson and Eicher have been compared to numerous celebrities and characters from movies and TV shows including Napoleon Dynamite, Justin Timberlake, Buddy the Elf, and Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the movie Step Brothers. The most popular of these comparisons is Nelson with Napoleon Dynamite.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Nelson. “I love being thought of with such an amazing movie and character like that.”

Their perms left some teammates “speechless,” but the team has embraced the “perm power” sharing pictures of Nelson and Eicher with others on social media to celebrate their first round playoff victory.

“We have the perm power,” said Eicher. “So of course we will continue to advance in the playoffs.”

Southmoreland faces Shady Side Academy Thursday at 8 p.m. at Gateway High School.

#believeinthepermcess

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Keera Frye

I'm a senior at Southmoreland and an editor. I participate in many extra curricular activities and enjoy telling people's stories.

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