Almighty Coach

"The defendant is found to be not guilty of first-degree murder and not guilty of police assault." As the judge finished speaking, he slammed his gavel with force.

Dai Li exited of the defendant’s stand and immediately walked towards Wilfrid to shake his hand.

"Thank you very much, Wilfrid," Dai Li said.

"Mr. Li, it is the least I can do. Besides, I’ve always believed that you were innocent." Wilfrid’s plump face was filled with a bright smile. Apart from winning the lawsuit, there was a generous sum of lawyer fees waiting for him. It was worth opening up a bottle of champagne to celebrate once he reached home.

Upon leaving the court, Blake was already waiting in the car. After saying goodbye to Wilfrid, Dai Li entered Blake’s car.

"First, I’d like to congratulate you on winning the lawsuit." As Blake spoke, he handed a letter to Dai Li. "Take a look, this is an invitation letter we just received. From the American Track and Field Association. They’re inviting you to become the head coach of the U.S. National Track and Field Team!"

"Recruiting me to become the head coach of the U.S. National Track and Field Team!" Dai Li wasn’t sure if he shouldn’t believe what he had heard or if he shouldn’t believe Blake’s words. He wasn’t an American. There was no need for the almighty US national team to find a foreign head coach to take the reins.

"When I first saw this invitation letter, I also thought it was a prank! Why would the US National Track and Field Team want a Chinese guy to become the head coach? However, I’ve called and checked with the Track and Field Association; it’s real," Blake started the engine as he spoke.

The car moved steadily forward along the road. Dai Li reviewed the invitation letter in detail. He read it from beginning to end three times before asking, "Regarding this invitation letter, what do you think?"

"There are pros and cons! Becoming the head coach of the U.S. national team can definitely boost your fame and reputation. It’s certain to be beneficial for the development of our fitness centers. These are the pros," Blake said as he slowed the car down.

He then continued, "As for the cons, the current state of the U.S. National Track and Field Team is terrible. Before I came here, I called and asked Irwin; he told me that the current team is only half-filled. The athletes who were able to compete for gold medals were mostly caught up in the performance-enhancing drugs scandal, and have left the U.S. National Team. The current team will become the worst national team in history. Leading such a team to the Olympics is like going to meet your doom. Regardless of who becomes the head coach, he has to bear the responsibility of failing in the Olympic Games. So if you ask me, I feel that becoming the head coach of the US national track and field team has more cons than pros. My suggestion is to say no. Just reject the Track and Field Association."

Dai Li nodded, but did not speak.

Dai Li’s behavior somehow made Blake feel uneasy, as if there was a possibility of something terrible happening. With his understanding of Dai Li, it wasn’t a look that said that he was going to reject the Track and Field Association.

"Don’t tell me you’re planning to take head coach job. I admit ’the head coach of the US National Track and Field Team’ sounds wonderful. However, there’s also a lot of responsibility you need to bear. Don’t be blinded by the glory and prestige in front of you. Think about it carefully; there are so many excellent track and field coaches all over America, it can’t be that everyone has been involved in the performance-enhancing drugs scandal, right? There will always be people who weren’t part of it, but why didn’t they become the head coach of the national team? Why didn’t they look for an American coach when there are so many of them lying around? If it were really a good job, how could this job opening fall to a Chinese coach like you?"

Blake sounded a little anxious. He continued advising, "The current U.S. National Track and Field Team is too weak, even ignoring the fact that they’re missing a lot in number; they aren’t exactly the strongest either. The result and performance of this Olympic Games will be unbearable. It’s like a gamble that you are sure to lose. If you know that there’s no chance of winning, why would you waste time placing a bet?"

Blake’s anxious look made Dai Li laugh. He said, "Looks like the miracles that I’ve produced these past few years aren’t enough!"

"Are you really going to accept that disaster?" Blake asked.

"Don’t you think that taking on the impossible is an interesting thing to do?" Dai Li asked with a laugh.

Blake shook his head and said, "I’ve never thought that it was interesting. I prefer the taste of victory. I’d rather lead an unbeatable team than to challenge the impossible or something."

"Leading a winning team is boring! All the opponents you meet are weak; they pose no threat to you. Sooner or later, the joy of winning will dissipate. You will become used to winning and you will lose the joy you feel when you achieve victory. You might even become numb. Try and think about it, if competitive sports is always one-sided, and you lose the joy and thrill of competition, then wouldn’t it be better to just sit in front of the TV and watch a soap opera?" Dai Li asked.

"How do you know all this?" Blake asked.

"Have you forgotten? I used to be a fitness coach for such a team. It was our national table tennis team. We kept on winning; it was boring," Dai Li sighed as he spoke. He then changed his tone and said, "You should just relax and stop worrying. Before taking over this disaster, I will first try and understand things, to learn where I stand. I will not fight a battle that I cannot win."

...

Dai Li arrived at the headquarters of the American Track and Field Association and met with the CEO of the association, Mr. Williams.

"Coach Li. Welcome!" Williams was warm as he invited Dai Li to the meeting room. He then personally introduced the situation of the U.S. Track and Field Team to Dai Li.

Actually, Dai Li already knew the team’s situation. Before he came, he had already received a lot of information from Irwin, and it was all intelligence from the front line of training. It was far more detailed than what Williams mentioned.

"Mr. Williams, according to what you’ve said, we currently don’t even have enough athletes to participate in the competition?" Dai Li asked.

"As of now, yes. However, we are still recruiting athletes," Williams nodded as he replied.

"Based on what I know, before the 15th of July, we have to submit the name list of all the participating athletes to the International Olympic Committee. And now, there’s only around a week left before we reach this date," Dai Li said.

Williams nodded awkwardly, "That is indeed the case. We are really short on time."

"Then in your opinion, do you think that we can recruit enough athletes within the timeframe given by the International Olympic Committee?" Dai Li continued asking.

"We, the Track and Field Association, will work hard to settle this." Williams gave a vague answer. It actually showed that he wasn’t confident in that regard.

"Mr. Williams, if that is the case, I have a demand," Dai Li said.

The fact that Dai Li wanted to make demands wasn’t beyond the expectation of Williams. After all, since he was willing to take over in this awful situation, surely there was no way he wouldn’t make any demands.

"Coach Li, please speak. As long as it is within our powers, we won’t deny it," Williams declared.

"I want the right to select participating athletes. Half of the current U.S National Track and Field Team has not been confirmed. I want to personally select these athletes!" Dai Li announced.