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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

“Nocturnal” by Joey Madden

Submitted to Contest #256

That smile. I'll never forget that smile. The smile that put me straight into retirement. The smile that precipitated The loss of a hundred lives, and 20 that I knew and loved dearly. I still see it. Everytime I close my eyes, I see it. I open my eyes, expecting it to go away, and there it is. It’s all I see anymore. Every day. Every single night. Every hour and every second. There it is. See, I had always been infallible. I'm Michael Kross, a real-life superhero. The type of physical specimen you only see once every billion years, if ...

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“Going for the Gold” by Chris Churilla

Submitted to Contest #256

WARNING: Contains substance abuse and violence I’m walking down a Mexican beach in a gold bikini at sunset. I stop and look at the setting sun, then look at the bottle in my hand. I squeeze it and a dollop of cream drops in my palm. I raise it to my face and rub it into my skin. I turn to the camera and say, “Belleza Dorada. Te quita anos de vida!” “Cut!” the director yells. He jumps down from his chair, storms up to me, and glares. “I not beleef joo! Joo must make me beleef joo!” I want to remind this Kubrick wannabe I’m an Olympic gold me...

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“The Game” by Jake L

Submitted to Contest #256

The first couple of days were a cinch. After one or two explanations of my responsibilities, I was free to continue my duties. Duties that I took care of swiftly, leaving nothing except the slow tick of the clock. With nothing else to keep my body moving, my mind was left to wander, a trait I’ve had ever since I was a kid. It journeys to places far away. Places in which the strange and the wonderful reside. As the setting grows, people begin to sprout like flowers. Characters with diverse backgrounds and elaborate backstories populate the wo...

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“Imagine you are with whom you assume is the love of your life” by Juan Carrillo

Submitted to Contest #256

Imagine you are with whom you assume is the love of your life, then imagine finding out your love has been having an affair for over a year now. You find out that your stage of Darkness and despair made them feel as if you were complacent in your cocoon of sadness. Also, on top of that, you find that you are living in the torment of an undiagnosed mental illness, an illness you seem to have had from young adulthood, and it had never been treated as what turned out to be bipolar disorder. Discovering at the same time that the safety of your e...

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“Unraveled Dreams: Moments in the Shadows” by Crystal Daniels

Submitted to Contest #256

The California evening sun cast long shadows over the small town of Granite Hills, painting the streets in hues of violet and Lisa Frank pink. It was the kind of town where you are apart of a big city but within your county everyone knew each other, where whispers of triumph and defeat echoed through the narrow alleys and wide-open fields with ease. In a quaint little complex on Gloria Street, lived a young man named Markus. Markus had always been a dreamer. As a child, he spent hours training his mind and body to become the fastest sprinter...

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“The Thrill, The Agony” by Sandra Fischer

Submitted to Contest #256

Hank Patton Sr., stood by the trophy case in his foyer showing his trophies and medals to anyone who stepped through his door. “This one is one of my favorites because I only won by .5 of a second.” The guest would “ooh and aah” at each boast Then he would move on to a smaller case and call his son, Hank Jr. to join them. “Here he is, the next Patton to conquer any course he runs, right, J.R.?” Hank Jr., who preferred to be called J.R., would lower his eyes, lips tightening as he nodded. Sometimes the father would emphasize his ambition for...

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“Boys vs Girls” by Anna Salieva

Submitted to Contest #256

Claire cast a quick glance around the gym, before turning back to her team’s first match. She’d been in plenty of fencing competitions, but not one that had mixed-gender teams. It was all a little exciting. Next to her, Sarah shifted from foot to foot. Claire put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be fine.” Sarah nodded. It was James Novach, their foil captain, against a broad-shouldered hunk of a man with the name “Holdson” stitched on his back. If she wasn’t so in the zone, she’d be pretty into their enemy. The referee, an older man in a ...

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“The Mismatch” by Sue Novak

Submitted to Contest #256

Today, like most days, begins for her sometime after 10 a.m. because she can’t fall asleep until nearly 2 in the morning anymore. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s just how she’s always been wired but didn’t realize it until after she retired and no longer had to go to bed early. She rises from her bed and everything hurts. The dog watches her pull on a T-shirt and a pair of lounging pants. She shuffles toward the bathroom. She runs a comb through her hair, notices the house is cool from the air conditioning but somehow stuffy. She sniffs, makes a ...

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“The moment of now.” by Megan Ark

Submitted to Contest #256

Our bodies are better adherents to the virtue of honesty than we are; within a certain magical distance, the layers of muscles, fascia, and skin become transparent, and emotion is telepathic. I can feel my skin tightening and my facial muscles stiffening, betraying my ingenuine effort to lift into a smile. The lackadaisical execution of a smile, half out of social obligation and half out of emotional concealment, sends the same message as the bark of a stray dog retreating in a last attempt to intimidate—everything is under control, and I’m ...

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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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