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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#256: Going for Gold

We're entering into a major summer of sports. From the Euros and the Copa America, through Grand Prix and grand slams, to the Olympics and Paralympics, you can barely switch on the TV without catching something. Even those of us who aren't usually sports fans seem to be finding ourselves caught up in the fever-pitch of excitement.

And there's a reason for this: sports bring us together. Whether we're viewing for the spectacle, for tales of heroism and tragedy, or for a feeling of community, there's just something about it. This week's prompts invite you to channel the experience of athletes and fans, and to capture that atmosphere in writing. We look forward to seeing who takes gold!

This week's prompts

Set your story in the stands at a major sporting event.

Fiction – 40 stories

Write about someone who has trained all their life for one moment.

Character – 45 stories

Write a story about an underdog, or somebody making a comeback.

Character – 42 stories

Write about a moment of defeat.

Angst – 54 stories

Write a story about two sporting rivals having to work together.

Funny – 23 stories

Stories

“The Watchers in The Stand” by Jacqueline Jones

Submitted to Contest #256

The Watchers in The Stand With great anticipation, the fans wait as one by one; the runners appear on the field from the tunnels beneath the stands where they sit. Everyone looks on intently as each competitor takes a position in their assigned starting blocks. Some stretch, and flex, while others run, or leap in place to warm-up their limbs; after all, this is the reason they have come: to race, to challenge their peers, and to win. They have endured a grueling regimen of training and exercise, and are in peak physical condition. And it was...

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“The Arena” by Rachel Robidoux

Submitted to Contest #256

The sun beat down on the arena warming the stone beneath her fingertips and scorching her back. The heat was a palpable thing, her hair and her clothes sticking to her skin with sweat. Even the breeze was hot and ragged like the breath of the wild dogs that roamed the city. Worse than the wretched heat was the smell. A nauseating combination of sweat, freshly baked bread, and blood enveloped the arena. The smell alone made her nose burn. The roar of the crowd hammered upon her eardrums. A cacophony that she could hardly bear. The air was fil...

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“The Gingerbread Man” by S.C Sanborn

Submitted to Contest #256

Tom and Gabby were drunk, swaying back and forth into one another as the train car bounced along the rails to the stadium. They made a handsome couple. Gabby was lithe and graceful, usually that is, with a slim build beneath long, blonde hair. Tom was tall and spry, and while he wasn’t particularly stocky, his muscles pushed outward on all sides of his t-shirt. Together they looked like they belonged on the cover of Getting Married, if there was ever such a thing. The train was old and thoroughly worn out, as evidenced by the flickerin...

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“The Perfect Seat” by Harlan Roberts

Submitted to Contest #256

The Perfect Seat The best thing about this place is the noise.Not to knock the food. Or the Comedy Gold of the people who come here. Sports fans who’ve been drinking are great for You Tube videos.But I like the noise.I’m not a big fan of it when I’m at home. That’s why I have a house that is truly out in the middle of nowhere. The wind through the trees with the calls and cries of the wild animals that live out there? That’s the only noise I need in my life.The noise that’s all around me now? At The Meloni Family Sports Stadium in downtown B...

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“Take Me Out to the Ballgame ” by Lauren Armstrong

Submitted to Contest #256

“Ugg, these lines take forever. We’re going to miss the next at bat if they don’t hurry up,” Mary Anne told Suzane. “Never fails that they would want nachos right when it starts to get good.” Suzane rolled her eyes before looking at her sister-in-law. “So frustrating. Luckily, I can pull it up to watch on my phone while I wait, but it’s still better in real time. Also, lucky that we’re near the front now.” Ten minutes later, they finally make it ...

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“And the Crowd Went Wild” by Caroline Woodruff

Submitted to Contest #256

And the Crowd Went WildSunny remembered those cheers. To this day they ring in her ears. She was twenty-seven then. 1977. It was Friday night at the New Orleans Superdome and thanks to the generosity of their bosses at the television station, Sunny and Joanna had seats in the third row of the stands. The New Orleans Jazz was playing that night, and they finally had their big chance to see Pete Maravich in action. Pistol Pete Maravich was in his prime, a super-talented basketball player, a super star really, and the ladies also thought that ...

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“A Game of Symbols” by Leah Billings

Submitted to Contest #256

TW: Themes of loss~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My eyelids drooped and my surroundings swirled as I imagined my therapist's voice reminding me of our grounding exercise. “5-4-3-2-1,”5, The green grass of the baseball field was vibrant in the sunlight. The bases were clearly marked with white chalk. Professionals in colorful jerseys and baseball caps ran around the field, their fans cheering from the stands.4, The cement felt burnt and coarse under my feet as I walked towards our seats. The plastic seat was now ha...

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“Sid the Stooper” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #256

Sidney Short was a guy constantly looking for the big payoff.Higher education, marriage to the girl next door, a house in the suburbs, a corporate career. All chump change.Sid knew he was destined for the best or nothing. He collected rags-to-riches anecdotes the way someone else collects baseball cards. Plenty of evidence showed that hard work wasn't the way to get the big bucks, the fame, the girl he wanted.When he was growing up, Sid’s home life was all or nothing, with nothing being the norm. His father left soon after his younger sister...

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“The Game” by Jack Sanger - Author

Submitted to Contest #256

The Game One of the adages of Galactic history is that a founding feature of any civilisation is games playing. It has been essential to the evolution of every society in the Galaxy and will continue to be so until the last gasp of Galactic life. It was no surprise then that the once-in-a-generation event, The Game, dominated the Galactic sporting and social calendar, creating endless debate and fuelling intense rivalries. The arena for this great galactic tournament was midway down one of the two spiral arms, the densely inhabit...

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“Think(air). Feel(water). Act(earth). Be(fire).” by Lena Chou

Submitted to Contest #256

It's as simple as that when it comes to manifestation. Those are the 4 golden must have steps when it comes to ACHIEVING ANYTHING you want. It follows the astrological principles of having enough of a bit of everything of the 4 elements, in order to really achieve balance and create and manifest things in your life that you really put your mind to. Don't get me wrong, there are different steps as to how to get to the fucking place you want to be at. You don't sit in a dark room and stare intensely at a lit flame and pray that you'll be the p...

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“Joy in Jazz” by Seth Conner

Submitted to Contest #256

Blood was starting to slip out from the skin behind my lip as I lifted my saxophone up. A bead of sweat fell off my forehead as I made eye contact with a stranger sitting in the front row, and it was as if I could see my anticipation mirrored in their eyes. The stage lights reflected in my eyes and off of the sleek, dark wooden stage that I stood on as time slowed down. I was in the zone. This was the most important moment of my life, and as such would change the course of it for good or for bad. Being one of the guest soloists in the ...

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“The Last Word Lost” by Steve Krysak

Submitted to Contest #256

Has your mind ever gone completely blank? Probably. But has your mind ever blanked onstage in front of 2,000 people? Not to mention the twelve television cameras broadcasting a live feed to another fifteen million people in three different countries.That was a fun Thursday night.I should have been the youngest person ever to win the Continental Spelling Masters. Instead, I will be a footnote on some Wikipedia page. Fourteen-year-old Myles Jasper holds the unique distinction of being the only participant in the history of this spelling bee wh...

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“Crunching numbers” by Michael Watkins

Submitted to Contest #256

He was an unyielding menace. A certainty that was a constant reminder of her short-comings. He taunted her at every race and was a relentless force that laughed at the best of her efforts. Now the day arrived that they would be facing off again. Outside the weather was bordering on perfection and the morning seemed to be promising nothing but greatness. She was stretching her legs under clouds that were a meditative armada in the sky. Every one of them seemed to be on Valium as they collectively drifted in a lazy river up there, chasing and ...

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“The Boxer” by Kim Dyas

Submitted to Contest #256

I stepped out the front door it was five am and still dark as sunrise wasn’t until five thirty. It was a typical October morning for Brisbane, the temperature had already reached twenty-five degrees and the humidity was high. I walked down the driveway to the foot path and started jogging. I would run for an hour and cover fifteen kilometres. This was a daily routine for me, run every morning and hit the gym in the afternoon after work.I had been boxing as an amateur for two years and held a national title, in the light heavy weight division...

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“The Title” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #256

Well, this is it. What it all comes down to. The Moment.I’m in my corner, coated in sweat. Livid bruises are rising all over my body, where my chest, arms, legs, and face have absorbed one punch, one kick after another. My hands tremble with pain, like two white hot points of agony at the ends of my arms. My manager has an iced coin pressed to a small gash above my left eye, trying to get it to stop bleeding before the referee notices it.“You’re doing fine, Bobby,” he says, his hot breath wafting into my face. “Just fine. This is it. This is...

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$250

Prize money

204

Contest entries

102

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 28, 2024 EST

Won by Melissa Van Rensburg 🏆

Title: Injury Time

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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