McFarland, USA Page #5

I haven't got a lawn.

What are we doing?

You're not gonna like it.

Blanco?

Now you just gotta lean it over

and cut.

Take off the outer leaves

and turn it over.

This will be your row, okay?

Keep your knees bent

or it'll hurt your back.

You okay, Blanco?

You guys do this all day?

Yeah.

Get this field done,

maybe start on another one.

You get paid by the hour?

Not by the hour, by the field.

The faster we get this one done,

the more our father makes.

By the field?

Hey, Damacio, how old were

you guys when you started

working for your dad?

10? 11?

Is that even legal?

Strawberries, it is. And potatoes.

Other crops, you gotta be 12.

I remember, first day I started,

I wanted to quit after the first hour

because it was so hard.

Cried like a baby.

Yeah, I know how you feel.

You wanna quit, Blanco?

What do you think?

Blanco?

I'm sorry, it's my back.

I know, I know. Just lie down.

Face down. Come on.

Yeah. It's okay.

It's okay.

You just gotta do this

every few hours when you first start.

Your body's not used to it.

Okay, listen, guys. I get it.

Your father needs you.

All right, so this is...

Thank you. This is what we do.

On days you have to pick late,

we practice later.

All right? And the days we have meets,

you pick extra early

and you still make your dad's quota.

I'll pick with you if I have to.

Only if you have to though,

right, Coach?

Because you don't

look too good right now.

"Coach"? You sure about that?

Not "Blanco"? Not "White"?

Not "homes"?

No. Coach.

Coach. Good.

What are you eating there?

Tacos. You want one?

No, give me two.

I'm just saving you, Danny.

Can you pass me another one, sweetheart?

Yep.

Got it, got it.

What's going on?

Tamale sale.

- And car wash.

- Team fundraiser.

This afternoon.

- Can you help me with this, babe?

- Yeah.

My boys running for you,

they need new uniforms,

and better shoes.

Why you buy them the cheap shoes?

You're not proud of them?

You are a good man and so I helping you.

Okay, now go shower.

Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken!

And how many tickets

did you say your mama sold?

You better hope

only half of them show up.

Well, let's get our buckets, guys.

- Hey, Cheryl! Hi, honey.

- Lupe!

How you been?

I'm so good. How are you?

Do you remember my boyfriend, Javi?

- Yes. Javi, how are you?

- Hey, good to see you.

This is my husband, Jim.

- What's up? Javier. Javi.

- Hello.

Yeah, my sister's boy

is on your team. Victor.

You know, Javi,

I think I owe you an apology.

That first night we were here,

on that Friday night, I saw you...

And your cars and I thought you were...

Gangbangers?

Maybe once upon a time, homes.

We're just a car club, man.

Look at these cars, man.

They're our babies.

We wouldn't wanna put them in danger.

Plus, man...

If we commit a crime,

what's the first thing

the witness is gonna notice?

The paint job.

Hey, Victor.

You're gonna mess up

the paint job, homes.

Hey, don't scratch my face, ese.

Look, look.

Lupe! Beautiful!

Jim, you gotta see this.

You've got to see this.

- Come on, come on.

- Check it out.

Do you like it?

Yes.

He appreciates me.

Oh, boy.

I wish you appreciated me

more like that.

What you got your nose in, Coach?

"The McFarland Cougars

are making an impression.

"It started with a stunning upset,

beating Clovis High,

"but then consecutive victories

over Yosemite and Morro Bay

"left the racing community

and everyone else asking the question,

"'Just where did these

McFarland runners come from?'"

Some good news for a change.

You said it.

Jim, you have a minute?

Listen to this. It's from Jose Cardenas.

"We fly like blackbirds

through the orange groves,

"floating on a warm wind.

"When we run, we own the earth.

"The land is ours.

We speak the birds' language.

"Not immigrants no more.

"Not stupid Mexicans.

"When we run, our spirits fly.

"We speak to the gods.

"When we run, we are the gods."

It's good work, White.

Yeah. Jose is a good kid.

I don't mean Jose.

Welcome to McFarland, Blanco.

You know the way I used to coach,

I'd take soft kids and kick their butts

till they toughened up.

You think that's funny?

You beating up some white kids, White?

I think that's funny.

You know, I don't know if you know,

but if we keep going

the way we're going,

you guys have a chance

to qualify for State.

Really?

Yeah, really.

But it doesn't matter what I think, okay?

I can't do it for you.

And I don't have to be the one to tell you

that the odds are stacked against you.

But if you...

If you believe in yourselves

and maybe more importantly,

you find a way to believe

in each other, in your teammates,

it won't matter what anyone else thinks.

That's the beauty of sports.

We don't practice to lose, homes.

I mean, Coach.

You don't eat the produce, Coach.

What?

You don't eat the produce.

First rule of picking,

you eat it, you're fired.

God, I'm sorry, guys. I didn't...

All of you, dead.

Come on, White!

When we...

When we qualify, your world can

start to look very different.

Coach, don't you mean "if'?

No, I mean "when."

All right, so start thinking

about what college

you're gonna apply to.

Cal Poly's got...

Agriculture, crop science,

viticulture.

I wouldn't be surprised if you kids

knew half that stuff already.

Think about it, guys.

Cal Poly's only

a few hours from here. All right.

You can still help your parents out

on the weekend, but if you get a degree...

You get a degree,

and you have to read it

to get a degree...

You're gonna be able to

help them out a lot more

than the money you make

out in the fields. All right?

Right?

Things are going really well for me.

Coach thinks we can make it to finals.

Maybe...

I can get into college.

College?

You know what...

Take your face out of those books.

They're going to ruin your eyes.

Nobody ever needed a book in the fields.

How big?

I told you 20 times, Danny, very.

All right?

Don't worry. That's why we trained.

I know, but how big?

That big.

Take a good look, guys,

because this is

where we qualify for State.

All we gotta do is be in the top four.

That's it.

Hey.

Congratulations.

Team to watch.

Thanks.

And coach to watch.

Palo Alto's got its eye on you.

There could be something coming up,

if you're interested.

Coaches, you have three minutes.

Thanks. Good luck out there.

You, too, Coach.

Okay. Come on.

Everybody, get in here. Come on.

Danny, quit looking at the mountain.

It's not going away and neither are you.

You're gonna be all right.

I've seen you out in the fields.

You're an ox.

So when you're in pain

out there on this mountain,

I want you to remember,

so is the guy next to you,

and the guy in front of you.

This is gonna come down to which

runners can handle the pain.

So I want you to look at them,

and I want you to look

at each other and ask yourself,

"Who's tougher?"

My money's on you.

Call it, Danny.

Uno, dos, tres.

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