Olympic athletes make competition look easy. From the swimmers who glide effortlessly through the water to the track and field runners who fly by at record speeds. And while we don’t get to see all of the hard work and training that goes in to preparing for The Games, sometimes we do have to wonder: how much of their stellar performance on the day of is owed to lady luck?

Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte Among Athletes in Time Magazine Olympic Issue

As it turns out, we’re not the only ones who are a bit superstitious. Quite a few Olympians admit to keeping a lucky charm handy for the big day. From lucky sports bras to stuffed dinosaurs, you may be surprised as to what magic charms these sports stars place their faith in.

NBC interviewed some of the Olympians we know and love about their choice charms. Check out the video below:

In the video you can hear swimming champion Dana Vollmer talk about the lucky South African elephant necklace she received from her dad. Her love of the elephant symbol seems to have carried on into 2012, as she recently tweeted this photo of the elephant earrings she plans to wear while competing.

I just found my #London2012 lucky charm! Little elephant earrings that I will wear when I compete! #fb twitter.com/danavollmer/st…

— Dana Vollmer (@danavollmer) July 13, 2012

Whether they are out making their own luck—or if they have a special charm up their sleeve—we’ll be cheering them on next week. Do you have a lucky charm and a crazy story that goes with it? Post a comment below or send photos of your charm to @OnAirWithRyan. We’d love to see it.