I participated in a cycling event yesterday. This event attracted cycling lover from all over the city. I was not sure where I found the courage to undertook it, but it could have been the inspiration from the spirit of sportsmanship I witnessed before.

My friends and I began my cycling adventure at 6 am from the eastern side of the lake. The cycling path was lined by a variety of color flowers, many of what I couldn’t identify by name. Looking down on, I noticed lots of falling leaves on the red track. At that moment I realized leaves were so attractive. Of course, this journey wasn’t just the feast for the eyes. It was absolute a physical challenge too.

4 . The Price of a Dream

I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.

By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念).

One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.

Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was afraid of this, but my mother said, “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.” 

When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them,” he said.

I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why I dream of buying my mom a house.

“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he demanded.

“Three point twenty-five an hour,” I replied.

“Well,” he asked, “is $3. 25 an hour the price of a dream?”

That question exposed the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20, 000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother my dream house.

5 . Dave Williamson Short Story Competition

By Manitoba Writers’ Guild

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild was started in August 1981 at Aubigny, Manitoba, as a grassroots organization for and of Manitoba writers. Our annual Dave Williamson Short Story Competitions open to writers across Manitoba. We actively encourage submissions from those who are 18+ years of age.

Prizes

Top prize: $ 1, 000 CAD

9 runners-up: $ 500 CAD

9 honorable mentions: Publication

All works from 10 prize winners and 9 honorable mention winners will be published in an e-book collection by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of the e-book will be used to support future Manitoba Writers’ Guild writing competitions. Winners will be announced via e-mail a few weeks after the contest deadline.

Entry

Entry is free of charge to all writers. However, writers looking to improve their writing may choose to purchase an assessed entry ($ 10 CAD). With this option, you will receive a Google document with comments and suggestions on how to improve your writing on a sentence level, as well as a personal e-mail guiding you in growing as a writer.

Rules

Follow all the rules carefully to avoid being disqualified.

◆Write between 2, 500 and 5, 000 words and submit only your original, unpublished work.

◆Your submission will include a covering letter that contains your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.

◆We are accepting only e-mail submissions for this contest. Please make sure the file is sent as a. pdf,. doc/. docx or. txt document.

◆The deadline to submit your writing is December 19, 2023.

7 . Many hear endlessly how good exercise is for our health,but you might be surprised to know just how good.    1    

It helps you breathe better.

Frequent exercise improves the volume of oxygen you can use in your body.This is what makes you fit and the benefits aren’t limited to sport.    2     Attending some professional courses can build core strength and improve shape,and so strengthen breathing muscles. 

Physical activity enhances your mental health.

Doing something active releases “happy” brain chemicals that make you more positive.The more you do it,the better you’ll feel.But you do need to work up a sweat.If you’ve had a bad day,treat yourself to a little bit of exercise.    3    

    4    

The way your guts (内脏) feel often impacts on your mental and physical health.Walking,running and yoga strengthen abdominal (腹部的)muscles,increase the heart rate and encourage your muscles to move digestive waste through your body more efficiently and digest food more quickly.

Keeping active keeps you young.

There may not be an elixir (灵丹妙药) of youth just yet,but keeping fit comes close.Just 15 minutes of exercise a day for eight years can increase your lifespan by three years.The more you do,the longer you could live.    5     It can be low-intensity exercise—swimming,a long walk on a running machine at the gym,or a low-intensity workout via special APPs.

8 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.