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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

“A Back-rank Mate” by Anat Kalinski

Submitted to Contest #256

CHECKMATE! Read the screen in big, bold, inconsiderate letters.“GG”, I wrote in the chat, going for a gracious loss.“EZ” was texted back by my condescending rival, followed by three crying-laugh emojis.A rush of blood to my head slowly tempered as I repeated to myself, stay calm, it's not worth it.It was a terrible day altogether. A couple of nurses who took my blood that morning had left filth in my room. A syringe cap, and a bloody gauze bundle, were callously left on my bedside table, forcing me to hobble my way to the nurses' station and...

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“THE GIRL WITH THE IRON WILL” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #256

I want to tell you a story about bravery and courage. I want to tell you a story about a girl who never gave up. Who never quit. I want to tell you a story about me. Vanessa Sanchez, track star. My story begins two years ago in the town of Brookhaven. I was a girl who loved to run. Day and night I would be running. Nothing could stop me not even my parents. I would run to the store, to school, to my friends house. I would run through the neighborhood. Running was freeing. Running was exhilarating. Running was my passion. I took my love for r...

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“Virgil and the Pogo Stick” by T Wilson

Submitted to Contest #256

The Selective Living in Later Years Trailer Park doesn’t cater to the plaid-clad, pants pulled up to your ribcage crowd. It boasts that a carefully chosen selection committee painstakingly picks each resident based on criteria preferred by the social elite--hand-picked, well-bred neighbor after neighbor. To this day, nobody is quite sure how Virgil and Hester O’Brian made the cut. Nevertheless, they are denizens of the aluminum paradise where rock gardens prevail, and awnings are a must.Hester and Virgil, who had recently celebrated 45 years...

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“As the mace falls” by Omar A

Submitted to Contest #256

Trigger warning: Physical Violence and implied sexual violence The bone cracked under the weight of the mace and the sound could be heard across the stadium. Victor's shin bone had just shattered, his brain going into panic mode as he let out an anguished scream. But Victor didn't have time to think, his opponent had raised the mace again, it was bathed in the light of the red sun creating a ring of fire as the mace blocked the light. Without much time to think Victor grit his teeth and rolled over a second before the mace swung down and str...

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“Journey to Andromeda” by Elise Gerner

Submitted to Contest #256

“Man, this is bad.” “Yeah, it’s terrible.”“I can’t believe people used to watch this stuff.” I glance over at Laia’s face, catching her gaze and we both burst out laughing, rolling around on my tiny bed. “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” she gasps, exaggeratedly brushing a tear from her eye. “What kind of title is that anyway?”“I don’t know, but it’s hilarious. Two hundred years ago, people actually thought this was good,” I say, playing with a lock of her jet-black hair. Laia flashes me that grin of hers that I love so much and ...

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“Like Swirling Leaves in the Wind” by Yannick L.

Submitted to Contest #256

It was Hilde's first weapon session at the Knight Academy. The training grounds were at the inner courtyard of Pegasus's Keep. Fighting was a central aspect of the education as a knight and the students were supposed to be able to have a good view from the castle. Practice but also observation were crucial in order to become a better warrior. At the training grounds, Hilde could see the other cadets, mostly men, training on some training dummies. They were warming up and some of them started taking their shirts of, revealing their trained up...

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“Dofo” by William Siebold

Submitted to Contest #256

Matin Dofolo sat at his usual table on the open patio of the Cafe Caliphate. His favorite after school treat, a splendidly creamy strawberry milkshake, awaited his attention. He took a moment to appreciate the warming late afternoon March sun. The air was freshly cleansed by a recent rain shower. He wore his favorite shirt. He was content. For a moment. A striking woman of indeterminate age approached his table. Older, he thought, then corrected himself. Mature is more appropriate. Slender and diminutive, her silky black hair cascaded wildl...

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“Bloodsport” by Nat Fendie

Submitted to Contest #256

“Are you ready?” She asks.“Let’s go,” JJ says as he looks up at the camera with what he thinks are his tough-guy eyes. He doesn’t have to try and remember the lines from his favorite action film, he knows them by heart.“You know what happens when you corner a wildcat?” He asks, walking towards the camera and cocking his head sideways, just like in the movie.“It strikes back!” He steps sideways on the wall, twisting his body forward, extending his leg and bracing for the ultimate wall kick, only to feel gravity work overtime and pull him to t...

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“Out of the dugout” by Justin Diaz

Submitted to Contest #256

Out of the dugout The evening sun cast light into the cabin of the minivan as he drove along the road toward its destination, inside was a thirteen-year-old boy looking down at his cleats covered in the red tinted sand used in the baseball diamond, a couple tufts of grass were stuck in some crevices of his shoes. He would just stare at them intently thinking back to the moment he fouled up in the game. As other kids from his team were going home happy about winning the game but he could not share in their revelry. While his team had won the ...

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“The Hound Goes Back for Gold” by Sam Everard

Submitted to Contest #256

“I assure you, Ma’am, you’d be making a mistake,” he grinned, through slightly crooked teeth. “I won’t be in town much longer and you won’t get an offer like this again.”The woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the kitchen table. She was smiling too, but her eyes were darting to the door and her nails were leaving indents in one tightly clasped hand. She went to speak and he cut her off. “I know, you want to wait for your husband, lord knows I’d want my wife to do the same. But this is different. And a smart man like your husband, he’d...

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“The Dragon's Covenant” by Ajene Amenti

Submitted to Contest #256

Kite’s speckled dragon snorted and scratched at the ground. He patted the beast's head and traced a finger along a deep scar on its forehead. His own scar began to sting, and he pulled on his reins instinctively. He noticed the other dragon riders eyeing him and nodded in response. They ignored his gesture and continued their conversation.Kite cleared his throat. “Where do your dragons come from, Night-Baron?”Coral burst into laughter. “Yeah, Night-Baron. Tell us!”“It's Night-Heron!” He said. “Petulant child riding a dragon ten times her siz...

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“The Last Day ” by Dania Hefley

Submitted to Contest #256

It was the night of the graduation party, the Bolo Dghe, the last day. My ex-girlfriend Emilia was a senior, I was a sophomore. We’d been on and off for nine months until she’d finally had enough of my bullshit and broke it off for good. A couple of weeks before the party I went over to her place after hooking up with Andrew and I mistakenly told her she “was a wayyy better kisser than him.” I had intended it as a compliment. She never kissed me again after that. She didn’t say a word to me at the grad party either though I stared at her the...

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“GEORGE” by Rory Kilalea

Submitted to Contest #256

Rhodesia declared a unilateral declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965 to avoid black rule. A bush war erupted. Black freedom fighters attacked the white Rhodesian forces for control of the country which they called Zimbabwe. Men and women were enlisted. Mixed race people could work with whites, even though they had a ‘black African’ mixed heredity. Brady Barracks. Bulawayo. Rhodesia. Africa. 1973 The stark sunlight outside was flat. Like another world. The tar shimmered through the dwarf marigolds at the base of t...

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“Failing Race” by Aaron DeMeyer

Submitted to Contest #256

The boat feels small today. It’s amazing just how quickly my perspective changes. Growing up, I spent time on ski boats and party pontoons, and my family even owned a little cabin cruiser for a couple of years. At that time, a twenty-four-foot boat seemed luxurious. All last semester, I felt lucky and privileged to go out on the water on a 24-foot sloop like this one every day. My twenty-four feet of freedom had felt spacious. We’ve been sailing a 62-foot sloop for weeks, though. Hannah, Ben, James, and I are bumping into each other as we r...

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“The Moment After Defeat” by Noel Selovire

Submitted to Contest #256

Note: This story contains mentions of family member death and the grief/trauma that comes from them dying. As well as mentions of physical violence, blood, and implied mental health (anxiety/panic attack, BPD episode).Defeat- it isn’t the moment the ball drops on your side of the court, or the moment you get an F on the big midterm. For Delilah, defeat was the moment she said goodbye to her grandmother. The moment her image began fading from her memory, and Delilah could only remember the color of her grandmother’s eyes from the images of ph...

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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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