Chosen Attribute: Resilience

Dictionary definition: "The ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change."

My definition: "Bouncing back and keeping an optimistic attitude, knowing that you can be successful no matter how hard you fall."

Cat Osterman had Callista Balko’s number: nine to be exact. Balko had been 0-9 in her previous career at-bats — nine straight Ks — when facing Texas’ three time national softball player of the year.

“She threw my weakness — a drop ball,” said Balko, a junior at the University of Arizona. “I was trying to adjust anything to hit off that girl. I don’t think I even fouled off a pitch during those nine at bats. It was a frustrating time.”

So, let's talk about the man in the sweater vest. What are we to make of this model of straight-laced propriety? He patrols the hallowed sidelines of the Horseshoe with the air of a great military commander, mowing down foes like Patton and his tanks. But five-star generals never go to war in V-necks and an AT&T headset. And what of the slightly tinted spectacles, neatly trimmed hair and pressed slacks? It says more "professor" than "football coach."

This month, as college football bowl games flood your television, let yourself get sucked in. Just make sure you have read below or your STV is close by. You’ll want to refer back to this article when you see a player score a touchdown and kneel in prayer. “Maybe he helps out with his FCA Huddle,” you’ll wonder.

If he’s found below or inside the magazine, the answer is yes.

We are profiling the athletes who are owning leadership roles both on and off the field. They are actively involved in their FCA Huddles and chapels and are setting positive examples for young fans to follow. We'll start with Heisman-hopeful Sam Bradford, and he is just the beginning of this tremendous list of athletes.

The faint of heart need not apply.

It takes grit to play at Rice University’s Reckling Park on game day in front of 3,000 fans. It takes nerve to battle under the shadow of a preseason No. 1 ranking. Expectations overwhelm, and stomach knots tangle themselves inside even the most tested of athletes. Why? Because players know that a single performance can make or break an entire season.

But really, that’s all hogwash ... and Rice juniors Bobby Bramhall, Joe Savery and Brian Friday know it.

What started as a lump in my throat eventually worked its way down into my stomach as I read the ESPN.com headline. Something to the effect of, “Wainwright injures pitching elbow.”

“This can’t be good,” I thought.

Just a few weeks earlier, I had interviewed the Cardinals ace for our April cover story, and, as soon as I read the news, I knew we were going to have to make some adjustments to the magazine, which was already mid-production. But that internal knot wasn’t just the result of professional nerves; it was also the product of personal compassion.

Kristin Drabyn is no stranger to the Division-I college basketball scene. But now, the former UMBC guard is leading from the sideline rather than the floor as a first-year assistant coach at Holy Cross. In her new role, Drabyn is learning to make friends with the bench—something that can be difficult for a former player. Despite the change of scenery, though, Coach Drabyn is remaining constant in the most important thing: her personal witness for Jesus Christ.

He’s the man who replaced the man. And that’s really all most people know about him. It’s an old axiom in coaching that you should never replace a popular coach because it will be difficult if not impossible to live up to their standard. Indianapolis Colts’ Head Coach Jim Caldwell stepped directly into that situation when his predecessor, Tony Dungy—possibly the most recognizable Christian coach of this era—removed his headset for the final time after the 2008 season.

As Ryan Hall's relationship with Jesus has grown, so has his understanding of excellence. Part of his early struggles as a runner were based on the identity crisis that often takes place for those sports competitors who have highly measurable templates for success.

"The world's definition of excellence is just based on performance," Hall says. "As soon as you're not performing, no one wants to talk to you anymore in the media, and it's easy to get down on yourself. It's all wrapped up in performance. It's like building your house on the sand. It's very changing and fleeting, and eventually it's going to be gone, because no one is always on top of their game.

Carey Casey wants to start a revolution. He travels around the country, rallying and recruiting men to join him and asking them to enlist for the cause. His goal: an army of 6.5 million.

Not to be confused with any militant operation, Casey's is more of an intimate and personal quest: changing the world one championship father at a time.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44 (NIV)

When my wife asks me to go to the grocery store for “just a few things,” I know I’m probably in for a long day. On those days, you’ll find me searching aisle by aisle and, more often than not, on the phone asking her for help. It’s similar to when she tells me to look for something in her purse. I don’t even make an attempt. I’ve learned it’s much faster to just get the purse and bring it to her.

Last year, as a freshman on the University of Tennessee soccer team, Ali Hall accepted an invitation to an FCA Huddle meeting for reasons that had little to do with spiritual desire (a.k.a. free food). She had no idea how that decision would change her life. Mere months later, she fully surrendered her life to Christ and began living and playing for Him. This season, the sophomore defender is focusing on using her athletic gifts to bring glory to the Lord as she and the Lady Vols take on the SEC.