Seven rounds of the draft, it's over; The 2011 draft came to an end. From the first round to the seventh round, it was carried out for three days, boiling, lively, and vigorous, and finally came to an end.

This year, UCLA had a total of five players in the draft, and in the end, four players were selected to make a remarkable difference. Among them, Raheem Moore in the second round, Logan Newman in the third round, Marcus Lynch and David Carter are all in the sixth round.

The only regret was Lu Ke.

Yes, in the seventh round of the draft list, Lu Ke's name still does not appear. Ironically, in the seventh round, the New York Jets also selected a quarterback, Greg-McElroy.

The reason why I say "sarcasm" is because Greg is almost no one remembers his performance in rookie training camp.

Greg is 6.16 feet (188 centimeters) tall and weighs 220 pounds (100 kilograms), which is more harmonious with Lu Ke's height and weight ratio, but other than that, his physical test results are lackluster, and the data on the 40-yard sprint, 20-yard switchback, standing long jump, vertical jump, and triple cone are not much different from Lu Ke.

But on the other hand, Greg's character skills test was mediocre, with 30 passes and 20 hits; The ensuing practice session went on for less than thirty yards and ended with a tackle.

In other words, apart from the weight advantage, Greg and Lu Ke have almost no advantage in the comparison. Of course, Greg was a seven-round draft, which was not a stellar draft in the first place; However, between Greg and Lu Ke, the New York Jets chose the former instead of Lu Ke, who excelled in passing, attacking, and on-the-spot command.

Placed in the seventh round of the draft, one could say that it was an ambiguous choice, and the Jets made the decision that was best for them; But it can also be said that this is the current situation in the NFL: not to mention a Chinese quarterback, even a Chinese American player, this is a huge challenge for any team, even an open and huge ball market like New York, let alone teams in other cities.

In many cases, racial discrimination does not have to be a contemptuous and dirty language, nor is it necessarily a condescending exclusion, the kind of ideas and ideas that are deeply rooted in the bone marrow, and essentially distinguish the two races, which is the real most terrible discrimination. Because it's almost irreversible. It took half a century for blacks and two centuries for women, and they are still struggling.

And what about the yellow race?

In football, basketball, and even athletics, the yellow race, represented by Chinese, is gradually expanding its territory, proving that race is not the biggest shackle that binds athletic talent, prejudice is. However, rugby is still a virgin land. This is a difficult problem left to Lu Ke, and it is also a moat in front of Lu Ke.

The fact is, the New York Jets chose Greg McElloy over Lu Ke in the seventh round.

Of course, Lu Ke had almost no performance opportunities during his college years, no video materials, no reference objects, no scouting reports, just relying on fifteen minutes and two minutes of play, and the ups and downs of the rookie training camp, which was not enough for Lu Ke to break the racial barrier.

So, the draft meeting ended, and Lu Ke was defeated.

After sending away the Newman family, and Logan, who couldn't stop crying wolf, the house finally quieted down. Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning turned around and returned to the house, and through the hall, they could see Lu Ke standing in the backyard.

At this time, Lu Ke turned his back to them, standing in the porch, the wind chimes next to him echoed in Ding Lingdang, crisp and long, and the cold moonlight and custard light sprinkled down, outlining the loneliness and dazedness of the back.

Looking at her son's back, Jiang Youning's mouth was full of bitterness, but she didn't know how to express it, she knew better than anyone how much effort Lu Ke had put in to get to this point.

She still remembers that when she was in the ninth grade, Lu Ke was too thin to form an effective confrontation in the team's training, and his physical strength, endurance and explosiveness fell behind. In order to be able to catch up with the competitiveness of his teammates, Lu Ke trained hard every day and did not dare to relax for a day.

One day, Lu Ke was slightly feverish because of the rain, but he was still unwilling to be absent and insisted on joining the team's daily training. Halfway through the training, Lu Ke sneaked to a place where no one noticed, vomited violently for a while, vomited until the bile came out, and then pretended to be okay and sneaked back to continue training.

After coming back, Lu Ke's whole face was pale, there was no blood at all, and he fainted directly on the porch at the door of his house, if it wasn't for Tiffany's timely discovery at the door, she noticed that Lu Ke was hot all over, and immediately sent him to the hospital, I don't know what the consequences would be. Later, the doctor examined and said that Lu Ke had a high fever of thirty-nine and a half degrees, and bronchitis, inflammation was spreading to the lungs, and if he didn't pay attention to it, the condition might be unimaginable.

Jiang Youning, who rushed to the hospital at that time, was so frightened that she cried profusely, but Lu Ke, who was still sober, comforted her, "Mom, so that I have a chance to be lazy, and you won't worry anymore." He was only halfway through his words, and he fell asleep again, as if he had burned into a daze.

That kind of accident is not the only one. Every time he saw Lu Ke training so hard, Jiang Youning felt distressed, but in the end, Lu Ke was always able to grit his teeth and persevere. He didn't give up when college didn't make it to the team for two years in a row; When he was a sparring partner in his junior year, he didn't give up...... He has come to this day step by step.

But now, all his efforts have been denied.

Jiang Youning involuntarily had a sour nose, and tears were almost falling. Then, Jiang Youning felt a hug, and when she raised her head, she saw her husband's slightly reddened eyes, "Xiao Ke is the saddest one." You know, what he needs most is our support, your son will not be easily defeated, even if the two of us can't support it, but he still won't give up easily. So, we can't be vulnerable until he gives up. ”

"I just feel sorry for him......" Jiang Youning raised his hand to cover his mouth, and then vigorously wiped away the tears from his cheeks. If she could, she would rather Lu Ke become a journalist than fight on the rugby field, as a mother, no matter what Lu Ke achieves, she is proud!

"I know." Lu Zhengze hugged his wife and patted her on the back gently, "I'll go over and talk to Lu Ke." Remember, he needs our support. ”

After speaking, Lu Zhengze took a deep breath, and then took a step.

Pushing open the screen window door at the back, Lu Zhengze walked out, the April monsoon crossed the sea and over the hills, mixed with a trace of water vapor and a trace of cold, rushing to his face, and his brain suddenly sobered up. Lu Zhengze's footsteps stopped beside Lu Ke, and he couldn't help but raise his head to look at the son next to him who was taller and stronger than himself, and wanted to speak, but he didn't know where to start.

"Dad. I want to keep trying. Lu Ke was the first to speak, which made Lu Zhengze's eyes fall on his son's face.

On the face that gradually faded and slowly began to mature, there was no imaginary loss and sadness, nor imaginary pain and complaints, but a shallow smile, a confident and firm smile.

"I was defeated, but I was still a rookie." Lu Ke calmly met his father's gaze, "I know that I have worked hard for so many years, and I can even say that I tried my best, but I still failed. In this case, knowing how to give up is the way of smart people. I think my brain is pretty good, and this calculation problem can still be completed. ”

Lu Ke chuckled and quipped, "The most appropriate thing to do is for me to give up rugby and start looking for a job as a journalist." There's four months to go, and until September, it's the peak time for job searches, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and even New York, and I'm supposed to be throwing in my resume and looking for more opportunities. Make arrangements for the future before the title of recent graduate begins to fade. ”

"But, Dad, I want to try harder." Lu Ke had no reason to be out of the blue, he just looked at his father sincerely and sincerely, "I know it's stupid and irrational." But, I don't want to give up now. Not because I am unwilling, but because I feel that I still have untapped potential. I hope Bole can see it, and I believe I can earn a place on that pitch. ”

Rugby superstar system, this is one of Lu Ke's confidences; But outside the system, in the years before obtaining the system, Lu Ke never gave up lightly. His confidence comes from the system, but also from himself.

Before Xiao Qi, there were at least six people who had obtained the system, but not everyone had achieved success, in the final analysis, on the competitive field, it was still themselves who held the key to victory.

Lu Zhengze didn't answer immediately, he looked at Lu Ke seriously, and couldn't help but be slightly moved. In his son's body, he saw his young and vigorous self, immigrating to the United States in the mid-nineties, which was not as beautiful as he imagined, and the difficulties and challenges they faced were far beyond imagination, but he and his wife gritted their teeth and persevered, creating their own life step by step.

They met an opportunity, and they took it. Now, it's the son's turn.

"Isn't there a gap year here in the United States?" Lu Zhengze finally spoke, "After graduating from college and before officially working, give yourself a year to explore the world, explore the unknown, and seek what you really pursue in your heart." Maybe it's a dream, maybe it's freedom, maybe it's wealth. ”

Lu Zhengze patted Lu Ke's shoulder, "I hope you can find it." In sports, neither your mom nor I can help, but you just have to remember that we've got your back, and you're the best quarterback in our hearts. With a long exhale, Lu Zhengze also smiled, "So, let it go." Failed rookies, even if they are not selected, they still have opportunities. I believe you. ”

Dreams, the reason why they are called "dreams", is not because it is too beautiful, nor because it can be realized, but because it transcends life and reality, and the road to dreams requires far more difficulties than imagination, and even a little silly courage. It's not difficult to give up your dreams, keep chasing them, that's the hardest part.