United Friends Challenge # 165

Please note:

There are quite a few components to this Challenge so please read it carefully to ensure that you meet ALL the criteria.

Northernpat's Challenge

Winning The Game.

Your character in the story is entering a competition.

Of these, the choice is yours:-

Any sport

Quiz Show

Beauty Contest

Cookery Competition

Whatever happens, they are going to win at all costs.

Write a short story about the competition, the opposition, and the tactics and strategies used for winning.

(They are allowed to cheat if necessary)

Today He Played With Cleats

Julian came to practice early that morning, full of good intentions. He had a sense of such accomplishment as he fastened the shin-guards on himself. Filled with a new sense of independence, Julian stood in line for scrimmages. His coach blew the whistle and he ran, head high, to the orange cones and back to the next one in line.

Next, he was first in line to kick the ball in front of himself. He felt such glory when he got the black and white ball and kicked it across the field. Julian half listened to his coach.

Today he played with cleats.

The other team, Maroon, assembled at the other side of the field. He saw his friend from school was on defense and his friend's mom had a whistle. He decided that he would say hi but not let it distract him.

The whistle blew for the first quarter and they were upon the ball. Julian kicked and so did his teammate Tim. Maroon kept right in there so that it was hard to tell where the leg started and the ball ended. White and black finally broke free and Julian ran towards it.

A Maroon player stopped it and tried to kick it back but in a flurry of legs and shoes, the ball seemed to pause at that little spot. Julian kicked but the ball merely bounced in the air and came down with everyone vying for a turn.

It was the same for the rest of the four quarters, except for the bathroom and water breaks. Julian heard his coach say that they were tied and to try not to let the other team score in the net.

He pondered this advice in his heart as he took his defense postion. The Maroon player who had tried to monopolize the ball for the entire game stood opposite of his position. Suddenly, Julian knew what he had to do.

The whistle blew and Julian ran to the net to assist his teammate Nick. The teams were in a solid pack and the ball was lost in the tangle of legs and shins. Suddenly, though, that ball was headed straight towards the net.

He remembered what the coach said. He thought about his team and how important it was to keep the ball from going into the net. He braced himself and stood in front of the net, blocking an end. Several of his other teammates followed suit and together, as a team, they stood in front of the net. As the kicking mass approached, someone, whether Maroon or Kelly Green he didn't know, someone kicked the ball towards the net.

The black and white ball stopped. Julian took a chance and kicked the ball. It went half way across the field. He took a deep breath and ran as fast as he could toward it. The grass was slippery and he saw both Maroon and Kelly Green slip and fall. He focused on the ball and came to it. He kicked it to the net.

His buddy from school blocked it but in doing so, he kicked the ball into his own net.

There was a cheer from the crowd. His buddy started to cry. His buddy's mom ran to her son and gave him a hug.

As they stood in line to say good game, he heard his coach laugh and say, "I love 4 year old soccer."

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