New Beginnings: A Fresh Start for Athletes and Leaders

By Brock Sawyer, Vision Sporting Goods

The turning of the calendar brings with it something powerful—a collective exhale, a clean slate, a chance to reset. For coaches, athletic directors, and student athletes, the new year represents more than just another season ahead. It represents possibility.

The Power of Starting Fresh

There's a reason why new beginnings resonate so deeply with the human spirit. Throughout Scripture, we see God as the author of fresh starts. "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19). The God who creates morning after morning, who offers new mercies each day according to Lamentations 3:22-23, invites us into the spiritual discipline of beginning again.

In athletics, we understand this instinctively. Every game starts 0-0. Every season is a new chapter. Every practice is an opportunity to improve on yesterday. Hall of Fame coach John Wooden once said, "When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts."

This is the essence of new beginnings—not dramatic overnight transformation, but the faithful commitment to incremental growth.

Release What Was, Embrace What Is

One of the greatest barriers to new beginnings is our inability to let go of the past. As leaders and athletes, we carry our victories and defeats with us. Last season's championship or last season's losing record can both become chains that prevent us from fully engaging with what's ahead.

The Apostle Paul, himself no stranger to setbacks and comebacks, wrote: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Notice Paul doesn't say he's achieved perfection. He says he's doing one thing—choosing to release the past and reach for what's ahead. For coaches, this might mean letting go of the sting of last season's playoff loss. For athletic directors, it might mean releasing frustration over budget constraints or staffing challenges. For student athletes, it could mean forgiving yourself for the game-losing error or the injury that sidelined your junior year.

Michael Jordan understood this principle. He famously said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Jordan's greatness wasn't in his perfection but in his refusal to let past failures define his future attempts.

The Discipline of New Beginnings

New beginnings aren't just about feelings of optimism—they require discipline and intentionality. Jesus modeled this throughout His earthly ministry, often withdrawing to lonely places to pray before major moments of teaching, healing, or decision-making. He understood that spiritual renewal requires deliberate action.

For those in athletic leadership, this discipline might look like:

Creating Space for Reflection. Before charging into the new season, take time to honestly assess what worked and what didn't. Proverbs 15:22 tells us, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Gather your leadership team. Ask hard questions. Listen more than you speak.

Defining Clear Vision. A new beginning without direction is just motion without meaning. Where is God calling your program this year? What values will you refuse to compromise? What does success actually look like beyond the win-loss column? Write it down. Share it. Let it guide your decisions.

Recommitting to Fundamentals. Vince Lombardi would begin each season by holding up a football and saying, "Gentlemen, this is a football." Even with seasoned professionals, he started with the basics. In your leadership, what are the fundamentals? Integrity. Work ethic. Servant leadership. Treating every person with dignity. New beginnings often require us to return to first principles.

Building in Accountability. Hebrews 10:24-25 calls us to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." New beginnings fade quickly without accountability structures. Whether it's weekly check-ins with your leadership team, mentorship relationships with other coaches, or honest conversations with your athletic director, build systems that keep you on track.

Leading Others Through New Beginnings

As leaders, we have a sacred responsibility to shepherd others through transitions and fresh starts. This is particularly true with student athletes, who are navigating not just athletic development but also crucial seasons of personal and spiritual formation.

Consider how you might lead differently this year:

Speak Life Over Your Athletes. Your words carry tremendous weight. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that "the tongue has the power of life and death." This year, be intentional about calling out potential rather than just critiquing performance. See the person, not just the player. Former NBA coach Gregg Popovich is renowned for treating his players as whole people, caring about their families, their education, their lives beyond basketball. That's leadership that lasts.

Model Vulnerability. Great leaders aren't afraid to admit when they've fallen short. When you mess up a call, own it. When you lose your temper, apologize. When you're uncertain about the best path forward, say so. This doesn't diminish your authority—it enhances it by showing your team that growth is for everyone, including you. As Pat Summitt once observed, "Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you're never wrong?"

Create a Culture of Second Chances. Every team will face moments when someone falls short—the athlete who breaks team rules, the coach who makes a poor decision, the administrator who drops the ball on a crucial detail. How you handle these moments defines your culture. Jesus specialized in second chances. Peter denied Him three times, yet Jesus restored him and built His church on this flawed-but-faithful man. Your response to failure will either crush spirits or cultivate resilience.

The Marathon Mindset

New beginnings can feel exhilarating, but sustaining momentum requires what I call the marathon mindset. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Notice the emphasis on endurance. New beginnings aren't about sprinting out of the gate with unsustainable energy. They're about pacing yourself for the long journey ahead. For coaches and athletic directors, this might mean:

Setting realistic expectations rather than making grandiose promises. Building in rhythms of rest rather than running yourself and your staff into burnout. Celebrating small wins along the way rather than only focusing on the championship at the end. Remembering that you're developing human beings, not just building athletic programs.

Bill Belichick, current UNC Head Football Coach and one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, consistently preached, "Do your job." Not someone else's job. Not the flashy job. Just your job, day after day, with excellence and consistency. That's how championships are built. That's how lives are transformed.

When New Beginnings Feel Impossible

Let's be honest—not everyone reading this feels energized by the new year. Some of you are exhausted. Some are discouraged. Some are questioning whether you're in the right place, doing the right thing. The promise of a new beginning can feel hollow when you're depleted.

If that's you, hear this: God specializes in resurrection. He brings life from death, hope from despair, beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3). The same God who raised Jesus from the grave can breathe new life into your weary spirit, your struggling program, your uncertain future.

David, the shepherd-turned-king who knew something about both victory and failure, wrote: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). Your discouragement doesn't disqualify you from leading well. In fact, it might be exactly what positions you to lead with greater empathy, wisdom, and dependence on God.

Sometimes a new beginning doesn't mean changing your circumstances—it means changing how you see them. It means finding the endurance to stay faithful in the hard season, trusting that God is working even when you can't see it.

Practical Steps Forward

As you move into this new year, consider taking these concrete steps:

Define Your Word. Choose one word that will define your leadership focus this year. Not a lengthy mission statement—just one word. Excellence. Courage. Joy. Perseverance. Integrity. Let that word guide your decisions and remind you of your commitment when things get difficult.

Identify One Relationship to Invest In. Who on your team, in your program, or in your athletic department needs mentorship, encouragement, or support? Make it your mission to intentionally invest in that person this year. Leadership multiplication happens one relationship at a time.

Establish a Non-Negotiable Spiritual Practice. Whether it's starting your day with Scripture, ending your day in prayer, or setting aside time each week for sabbath rest, establish one practice that keeps you connected to the Source of all wisdom and strength. You cannot give what you don't have. Fill your own cup first.

Plan Your Check-Ins. Schedule quarterly times to honestly assess how you're doing—not just professionally but personally and spiritually. Are you living according to your values? Are you growing in the areas you committed to grow? Are you treating people the way you want to be remembered? Build in these evaluation points before the year gets away from you.

The Ultimate Victory

Here's what we must remember as Christian leaders in athletics: the ultimate victory has already been won. The pressure is off. The final score has been determined. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

This doesn't mean we compete without passion or lead without conviction. It means we can do both from a place of security rather than scarcity, from freedom rather than fear. We're not coaching or leading to prove our worth—we're coaching and leading because our worth has already been established by a God who loves us, calls us, and equips us.

As legendary coach Tony Dungy wrote, "The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better." That's what new beginnings are ultimately about—not just improving records or building bigger programs, but making the lives of those in your care better. Helping them discover their God-given potential. Teaching them to compete with integrity. Showing them what servant leadership looks like in real time.

A Blessing for the Journey

As you step into this new year, may you lead with courage and compassion. May you coach with wisdom and grace. May you compete with excellence and integrity. May you see every student athlete as an eternal soul, not just a temporary player. May you remember that your influence extends far beyond the scoreboard.

May you experience the renewing power of new beginnings—not just on January 1st, but every single morning as you wake up to the fresh mercies of God. May you run your race with endurance, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith.

And when the season gets hard, the losses pile up, or the criticism grows loud, may you hear the voice of your Heavenly Father saying what He said to His Son: "You are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased."

That's the foundation from which all great leadership flows. That's the truth that makes new beginnings possible, no matter how many times we've stumbled in the past.

Welcome to a new year. Welcome to new possibilities. Welcome to the adventure of leading others toward excellence, both on and off the field.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

The harvest is coming. Stay faithful. Keep leading. Your best is yet to come.

What is your Purpose Beyond the Game?