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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

“Down but not out” by Christine Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #256

All was dark and silent. Davey slowly opened his eyes; a fuzzy blue sky filled his vision. Where am I? The side of his head throbbed; his chin strap was cutting into his neck. Instinctually he reached up removing his helmet. As his vision became clearer, he glanced to the left, a wall of rocks and tree trunks by his side. To his right a motorbike front wheel, the suspension bent and the mounting bracket torn off. Past that, a few shattered pieces of fibreglass lay scattered. He stared blankly at the debris....

8 comments 8
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“The Cyclist” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #256

If there was one thing which irked Karen more than crowds, it was sporting crowds. The scarf-waving, yell-in-your-ear sort you got at football, or the let’s-all-get-dressed-up-in-our-finery- and-hypnotize-ourselves-ticking-the-seconds-and-minutes-and-hours-away-by-twisting-our necks-back-and-forth-in-synch kind you found watching tennis were, as far as she was concerned, as bad as one another. And as for this debacle, this squash-behind-the barriers, cordoning-off-of-the-streets annual farce, give her the red-light-Saturday traffic-tailback-...

10 comments 10
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“Out of Duck” by Keba Ghardt

Submitted to Contest #256

"Here we are, Wilson," said Spalding. "104 and 103. I'll hold your Pepsi." Wilson handed over the drink and sucked in his gut as he sidled down the seats. He'd put off buying a new belt, unwilling to make that concession to his age, but he'd already punched two new holes in the leather, and his belly simply poured out over the top. "I really appreciate this, Mr. Spalding, and please tell Mr. Frisk I do, too. S'posed to be one hell of a game." "It is." No such gut-sucking for Spalding, even though he looked a couple years older. He was one of...

4 comments 4
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“The Battle of the Bulge!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #256

"I suppose you think this is funny, O Easter Bunny?" Narelle muttered at the golden foil clad bunny, smirking at her. It was now months past Easter. A kind friend had months ago gifted her with this cute top of the range chocolate bunny, symbol of new life and hope for us all.Unfortunately, over that fateful holiday, Narelle had indeed met her Gall Bladder surgeon. Her gallstones had been as those old pizza pies she had eaten. Yes, okay, having recovered from emergency surgery, Narelle was still being classified as 'fair, fat and forty.' "O...

4 comments 4
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“The Moment of Life” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #256

With my gym bag slung over my shoulder, I boarded the Express bus to the city.  I found an empty window and placed my bag on the floor and sighed, trying to wrestle with butterflies in my stomach coupling with the sizzling elation.  Hard as I tried, I could only get maybe four hours of sleep the night before competition day.  While the bus was idling heavily, I watched as the black soot passed by my window, momentarily obscuring my apartment complex. I smiled at the memories of all the training I had done w...

7 comments 7
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“The Day I Turned Fourteen” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #256

I choked on the last dregs in the cup. The particles stuck between my teeth, and a bout of nausea surged through me, though my cracked lips were grateful for the moisture. It was bitter in my throat. I had begun the cup with such fervor, such ravenous righteous reverence, that in my excitement, dribbles from either side of my mouth had rolled down my neck, soaking my perfectly white linen tunic. Every day of my 14 years, each lesson taught in the dusty, harsh air under the stark suns, each prayer and sermon and rite held in the cool temples ...

4 comments 4
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“Team Building” by Webb Johnson

Submitted to Contest #256

Towards the end of a long work day my phone pinged a text message; “Bob. Stop by my office before leaving.”  “Yes!” I punched the air then strode from my bullpen cubicle to the Director of Marketing's glass-walled office. Keeping his phone at his ear, the Big Man beamed a welcoming smile and motioned toward a chair in front of his desk. I walked in and sat as he concluded the call. We indulged in a minute of everyday chitchat. He praised my work and asked me to say hello to my wife Laura for him. Then, he looked down reflexively drumm...

5 comments 5
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“In The Heat” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #256

In the heat of battle you are transformed. There is so much less to the world and yet you become so much more. The flesh may be weak, but the spirit rises up to be counted when death stares it in the eye. Once you have tasted that exotic and intoxicating poison, the life you lead dies. There are vestiges of something that sometimes resembles a life, but all it really amounts to is awaiting the next adventure in the jaws of death. “I call it The Test,” I say before wiping the ale foam from my beard. “And I call it Hot Air,” Balur grins at me ...

4 comments 4
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“Returning the Volley” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #256

    As soon as the match began, Irina Ubetekov came rushing toward the net at Wimbledon, returning each serve with more power than she had put behind the thousands she had made during her entire 10-year career.     This tournament meant much more. It would put the final jewel in the crown on her climb up the summit of the tennis world, and she wanted to leave that world with a flourish on her record, avoiding the dreaded “40-Love” at all costs.      For she had made u...

1 comment 1
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“Team Up at The Strike Out!” by Dean Anthony

Submitted to Contest #256

You could say Ten-pin bowling runs in the family. My dad even named me Penelope, thinking “Ten-Pin Penny” would be a cool handle when I turned pro. I shit you not. And yes, I am very aware it sounds more like a D-grade superhero name.Hank “The Spin” Irvington - heard of him? Nope, didn’t think so. Well, that’s my loving father. A two-time Kentucky State Champion bowler circa sometime back in the 80s. And I can confirm being an amateur bowling champion is a big deal, in the same way winning a blue ribbon at a local fair’s taxidermy contest, i...

8 comments 8
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“Competition Day” by Jace Keeler

Submitted to Contest #256

Trigger Warning: This story contains dark themes, including violence and death.Competition Day slowly crept closer and closer, like a snake slithering towards its prey, waiting for its moment to strike. In the town of Elderswood, it was required of every young man who turned 18 to participate—a rite of passage observed for generations. Taking place once a year from sunrise till nightfall, those who did not attend when politely invited to compete were imprisoned and tried for failing to uphold years of tradition and law. Tradition was heavily...

3 comments 3
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“The Pitch” by Jennifer Luckett

Submitted to Contest #256

Jessie buttoned the old jersey, its fabric soft against her skin. The shirt belonged to her father, and the memory of that horrible day sent a tear sliding down her cheek.  “Jess, you ready, baby girl?” Carrie’s voice snapped her to attention. “Yes, Mama, be right down.” She grabbed her faded Cardinals hat from the dresser and bolted from her bedroom and down the stairs. Randall smiled as she entered the living room. “You look like a real girl ballplayer, Jessie.” “That’s good, exactly what I’m hoping to be.” Jessie patted her younger b...

6 comments 6
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“A Siren's Song” by Daniel Legare

Submitted to Contest #256

The carriage rocks left and right as it passes over the cobblestone streets of the capital. My hands try to find something to keep me steady, but the soft pillows and cushions are all that I have to hold.  I look across from me at Cyrus. He is sitting carelessly, one leg over the other, his hands clasped, his gaze lost in his own reverie. Then, he turns his head and smiles at me. “You’re sweating.” It’s the first words he’s uttered to me in weeks. “It is very hot in this carriage.” I reply. He glares at me, and I swallow a stone. The...

8 comments 8
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“Championship Mentality” by Joey Madden

Submitted to Contest #256

I hear the man say, “Now, just hand it over, and I won’t have to bash your goddamn skull in.” He is about 6’5, tattoos run from his burly shoulders down to his bony fingers. He wears a wedding band that rings against the tire iron with each smack against his palm. Two others surround him. One reaches into his waistband behind him, but I can see that there is no gun there. He is smaller than the other two. His hands tremble, and his knees wobble slightly, but noticeably. He is hidden behind the others for the most part from Rodericks angle, s...

0 comments 0
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“Substitute” by Josie McMaster

Submitted to Contest #256

Ellie took a deep breath; she knew what she needed to do. She was way past nervous, her mind and emotions numbed whilst every cell in her body vibrated with an intensity that bordered on painful. Her limbs did not feel like they belonged to her and every movement required conscious effort. Oh, not now, struck by a sudden urge to vomit, she leaned against the wall of the tunnel, pressing her head against the cool brickwork. The change of focus brought unexpected resolution and, oblivious to the looks and shouts from her astonished team-mates,...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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