Friday, May 4, 2012

Some people have all the luck. Take rising star, Andrew Luck, for instance. Luck just follows this guy around. Luck seems to meet his acquaintance at every turn. There’s luck here, luck there, luck everywhere.

Don’t blame him though; he was born with all the luck in the world.

It is outrageous that one person can have so much luck in such a short life. First the bilingual (he speaks fluent German) Luck had the good fortune to be gifted with these deviously sublime attributes, then, luckily for him, he wisely decides to dedicate himself to making the most of these luckily attained talents.

Of course, he was cajoled into using these abilities, wasn’t he? Surely he was. Luck was clearly on his side when his parents and teachers pushed him to be all that he could be. But what’s this I hear you say; everything that Luck has achieved was of his own doing. Nah, that can’t possibly be, it has got to be luck. Quite simply no one is that good without the guiding hand of luck on their side.

Or are they?

Maybe Luck worked hard. Maybe the twenty-two year old practised, practised some more, and then some. Maybe he is the sort that if he does not succeed at first, to try try again.

No, of course it wasn’t that. Come on, it had to be luck. How could it be that someone could get this good through the misguided notion of hard work? Surely not out there in the real world. It’s not as if things come about through anything but luck.

I mean, what luck that Luck was lucky enough to get all those great offers from the likes of Stanford University. Luck, again. Not to mention having access to top class coaches throughout his burgeoning career. And, unlike others, he was recruited by a top coach.

All the lucky ones are. Just by chance, it seems, they’re a magnet for recruitment officers the Country over. Dollars are been splashed out on a plethora of youngsters all in the hope that they might get lucky with one. And that they certainly were with Andrew Luck. They struck gold. Oh what luck.

But never mind talent, never mind hard work, it doesn’t pay. He does not require such quaint little notions. Only a fool stands to attention, adhering to the principles of a life of dedication; much better to abscond in haste from the gravity of hard work through into the animation of luck. And why bother with such frivolities when you can rely on luck. After all, luck’s all you need.

As he grew up into what has turned out to be a 6ft3” colossus of a man, the Washington DC born quarterback got luckier by the day. As they say, one day you’re the cock of the walk and the next, a feather duster. Not Luck, though, he is lucky. Gifted with a triple cone of natural talent, he kept breaking records. In 2011 alone he was lucky enough to break his own record of 32 touchdown passes when he lifted that to a new high of 37.

The lucky bugger.

Just to prove how lucky he is, Luck set a school (Stanford) record for total offense with 10,387 yards, breaking the previous mark by 500 yards. And to top it all off he won the Academic All-America of the year award.

So, he is a brainiac, as well. But it is not as if he has to work at that side of his life, either. Surely that came naturally to him, too.

More luck, I guess.

Where will it ever end?

For, sport’s disdain continues to ignore him as the froth of success gradually seeps through to the surface and into winter’s playground where, with any luck, his talents will continue to stay on the boil for many a year to come.

For sure, the Indianapolis Colts will be hoping so. Even they have been helping themselves to a dose of luck. First cab off the rank in the recent NFL draft and who was the first player up? Yep, you guessed it, Luck. What luck. Luck and luck united and the result was pure luck, I would imagine, that the twenty-two year old just happened to be the first picked in the draft for a piffling 22 million dollar four year deal, last week. Of course, this had nothing to do with hard work whatsoever.

How could it be in a sport where luck rules?

Then again, when you think about it, no one has ever achieved their potential without hours and hours of hard slog, blood, sweat and tears and all that. As Luck no doubt understands, all the talent in the world can only get one so far. This explains why Luck has such a splendid attitude to everything that comes into his existence.

It also explains all those hours of practise he has put in to reach the heights that he aspires to. He wants success, craves it, which is why he goes out of his way to work towards the apex of his chosen profession.

As for luck, in the end you have to make your own. Andrew Luck has done exactly that.

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