The smell of fresh cut grass permeates the air and the bright white lines glisten in the sun.

The first day of fall sports practice got under way Monday throughout the state of Michigan.

Our local football teams hit the practice fields for a couple of days of conditioning before strapping on the pads Thursday for the first full day of contact drills.

The remaining fall sports — golf, tennis, cross country, soccer and volleyball — will open up practice on Wednesday.

I love the start of each new season because there is a sense of a new beginning. There is an atmosphere of excitement and optimism.

For nearly every team, the goals are the same.

These include:

• Improve last year’s record

•Win the division or conference champions

• Play well in the state tournanent.

Those goals are universal. They apply to all sports.

Of course, teams have their own special goals as well.

The great thing about the start of a new season is that everyone is on a level playing field.

All teams begin this week 0-0 and can build from there.

I cannot what to see how this fall unfolds. Each new beginning delivers the promise of things yet to come.

Hopefully, for our local sports teams, that success comes quickly and continues on through the post season.

Only time will tell.

I cannot wait to share with you the stories that come out of the 2015-16 sports year.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.