October is upon us, and as glorious as we all found that little drunken stumble down Halloween Lane last week, it's time to celebrate another hallmark of autumn: sports. The National Basketball Association kicks off the 2023-24 season this evening, the baseball playoffs are in full swing, the NFL is gearing up for the stretch run... it's all about winning, folks.

You have 1200 words to describe your protagonist's participation in a competition. It does not necessarily have to be a sport/game, nor does it have to be an officially recognized event. It does have to be really, really important to your character(s). If their participation in this event could be safely characterized as obsessive, you are doing it right. Bonus points for somehow turning this into horror, but this is not required. Note: competitions solely against oneself are strictly prohibited - your character(s)'s motivation needs to be accomplishing [x] goal better than somebody else.

1200 words, my gladiators. You can bag an additional 200 words by requesting a flash, which will take the form of the opening setting for your story. GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! Let'sgo-let'sgo-let'sgo-on three ONE! TWO! THREE! THUNDERDOME