The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Groceries - deadline 8-23-12 10 am NY time (08/16/12)
Carl : Hello! This is Carl Sanchez.

Allen: And I'm Allen Watson, reporting live from the Verti Games. The great international competition for the vertically challenged, held every four years. Today's event is grocery shopping. Each competitor is given a list of items to retrieve, all of which are either on the top shelf, or the back of the shelf.

Carl: Our first competitor is Zina Owiti from Algeria. She's a shorter competitor, but has a mean vertical leap.

Allen She's going for the cereal now, using the tiptoe method.

Carl: That's right, Allen. It's a basic method, but can be effective at times, and.... Oh no. Just not quite enough height, Allen.

Allen: That's right. They only get one chance at each item, and can only use a single method once. Right now, though, it's time for a break. We'll return with more coverage of the Verti Games.

Carl: We're back, and Zina Owiti had a decent run. Our next competitor is Suzan Celik from Turkey.

Allen: She's trying the jumping method, for this item, I think, and... Oh no. It was only tiptoes. Did her feet leave the ground?

Allen: We'll look at the re-play, but I don't think so, Carl. That's a minor deduction there.

Carl: She's going for the soup now, and she's slowing, but... oh boy, Allen. She walked right past it.

Allen: She can't go back. Did she even see it?

Carl: I don't think so, Allen. It's a bonus item, so it's on the top shelf and in the back. I think she just missed it completely.

Allen: I think you're right. She's going for the chips now, and she's going to attempt the Monkey Climb.

Carl: She doesn't appear to be checking the structural integrity of the shelf, Allen. Is that a deduction?

Allen: Not necessarily. If she can pull this off without checking, she'll score big, and mostly make up for missing the soup. But if she fails in getting the chips, not checking the integrity of the shelf will warrant additional deductions. So it's a risky move, but a calculated one, and many competitors try it. It looks like it just paid off. She may be in contention for a medal.

Carl: She's going for the yogurt, and... Oh. I can't believe it. Wow. She resorted to asking someone for help. Major deductions there.

Allen: Huge. That will knock her out of medal contention. We'll take you to the pool for now, but we will return with the U.S. competitor!

Carl: We're back, with Emma Ashford, from the U.S.

Allen:Emma is off to a fast start here. She's already used the tiptoe method to snag the cereal.

Carl: She has the chips too.

Allen: She's going for the chocolate now, using the stabbing method. She's using the cereal to prod the chocolate down, and it looks like it's going to work.

Carl: On to the toilet paper. Remember, the order of the items does not matter, nor does time. The judges are looking solely at technique. She's going to use the pincher method here, using the cereal and chips to try to trap the toilet paper, and once again, she is successful. She's had a clean run so far.

Allen: Now the soup. She's looking, and she definitely sees where this bonus item is supposed to be. Someone's approaching her now, and.... yes. She accepts help.

Carl: Isn't that a deduction, Allen?

Allen: Actually, no. Accepting help isn't a deduction. Asking for help is. It seems a bit unfair, but remember, these competitors know and accept all the rules before they begin, so there should be no argument from Suzan Celik.

Carl: Emma is down to her last item, the yogurt. She's attempting the cart climb, and she'll forgo checking the structural integrity.

Allen: This is an especially risky move, as carts have wheels and no breaks. But as you can imagine, it reaps big rewards.

Carl: She's a little wobbly there, but... I think.... YES! She's got it, Allen. Emma has the yogurt, and a clean run. She's won gold.

Allen: Years and years of training have paid off for Emma Ashford tonight. So the final standings are Emma Ashford for gold, Zina Owiti from Algeria for silver, and Anna Volkov from Russia for the bronze. That's all the time we have for now, but we will return later, for an interview with Emma Ashford, along with the medal ceremony. Good bye for now.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 1142 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Verna Cole Mitchell 
08/23/12
Clever--creative--fun--I like this piece.
C D Swanson 
08/24/12
Great job! I loved how you pulled this whole thing together. I really enjoyed the dialogue and the way you presented it. Outstanding!

God bless~
Karen Pourbabaee 
08/25/12
Very entertaining and so timely with the recent Olympic games...and nailed the topic big time with this great entry.
Danielle King 
08/25/12
This made me chuckle. I am 4 feet ten and three quarter inches. That's short! I've been trying to reach high groceries all my long life. I really identified with your verically challenged characters. This was a fun entry and bang on topic. great job!
Leah Nichols 
08/26/12
Hilarious, Allison!

I admit, even though I'm of "average" height, I've had to reach for plenty of stuff on the top shelf with your methods.

Great piece and directly on topic. I won't say you'll place high, but I'd be surprised if you didn't. ;)
Colin Swann
08/26/12
An interesting, unique and fun piece of going for gold in the grocery lifting techniques!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/26/12
This is so hysterical. Wow! Talk about out of the box! I'd guess you've been watching the Olympics when you came up with this gem. It's a winner in my book. Thanks for the great laugh!
Myrna Noyes
08/27/12
Hee-hee! Very imaginative and fun! :) (I do think you meant "brakes" instead of 'breaks" when referring to the cart, but that is a minor thing.) I really enjoyed this piece!
lynn gipson 
08/27/12
GREAT! I felt like I was listening to the olympics! Very funny and clever. I loved it.
Leola Ogle
08/30/12
Still chuckling from this one! Great writing and a fun read! God bless!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/31/12
Congratulations for ranking 16 overall!