With the Olympics taking over our televisions and bringing us together as a nation, it became the perfect setting for our Stage 3 imaginative writing groups. With the focus on engaging the reader by tightening tension in their stories, there were some exceptional written texts that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Please enjoy these excellent texts below:

Lewis Buckley

"You can do it Jonesy!" yells his coach, Adam, as the athlete sits on his bike, gripping his handlebars with confidence. BEEP. BOOP. HONK! The race begins and his competitors zoom out into the lanes, along with Jonesy. The Olympic dream for these cyclists has just begun. Who will emerge victorious?

As a child, Jonesy wasn't really the type of kid that you'd find outdoors, but when his great grandfather spoke his last words on his deathbed, it changed Jonesy. "My final wish," his relative groaned, "is for you to win the Olympics for me, Sonny boy." After that day, Jonesy was dedicated to winning the Olympics in his chosen sport, cycling. Nonstop training, strict diets, and grueling work. Unfortuantely, lots of things got in the way of that, like having to take care of his sick grandmother, and feeding his four hungry kittens. But, he never gave up his and his grandfather's dream.

Panting like a dog, Jonesy rockets up the track, with opponents hardly in sight. His heart is beating crazily, adrenaline coursing through his body, and his limbs are covered in sweat, He is catching up to his competitors when...disaster strikes! Jonesy feels a slight wobble in his wheels, the frame holding the wheels together is starting to loosen! The Olympic athlete feels a slight chill throughout his spine, worrying about what the futre beholds.

"AARRAH!" bellows Jonesy, "My wheel!!" Even with his faulty bike, he continues to power on throughout the track.

The cycling race continues. Jonesy is pushing himself to the limit and it's working! Every second Jonesy is gaining speed and metres on his opponents. But good luck never lasts. The pack leader has unintentionally let go of his handlebars! The leader wobbles and turns extremely close to the other athlete.

"YAAH! " shrieks the leader, as he tries to recover from this career-ending misfortune. Adam, Jonesy's coach, watches in fear as the cyclist tries to fix this mistake. Jonesy's legs weaken as he rushes through the track like a raging bull. His breathing quickens, the smell of rubber fills his noseholes, and his limbs moisten. He will not lose his dream.

The crowd shouts in fear as the leader tries to regain balance, but its no use. The leading cyclist eventually loses all control and collides with the second-placed cyclist causing a monsterous crash!

"This is absolutely insane!" yells the commentator, as be leans in for a botter view. Fortunatley, Jonesy is nowhere near the insane crash, but, his luck doesn't last. The Olympic cyclist hasn't been focusing on the track! Jonesy quickly snaps out of his daydream and realises the issue: the massive bike pile approaching! There is nowhere near enough time to even start slowing down to the pile, but that was never Jonesy's plan.

Everyone is on the edge of their seats, worrying about what the next sixty seconds holds. Adam is tapping his feet, the crowd is standing up, and Jonesy is flying town the track. Steady. Aim. LAUNCH! The cyclist soars off the misfortunate pile, through the air, and across the line. Jonesy sticks the landing and is swarmed by fans and reporters. Tears of happiness flow down his cheeks, and the crowd shouts, "Go Jumping Jonesy!"

Milanna Dulevski

Lights shine on the velodrome. Her hands grip firmly onto the handlebards. The Aussie crowd goes wild! She is ready. She is going to win. She knows it! Beep. Beep. Bang! Ari zooms past the pack and makes her way to the front. A good start already, what could go wrong?

Ari always had a passion for cycling and had her training wheels taken off when she was only three! However, her mum didn't approve of this skill as her entire family were former Olympic swimmers. Every day, Ari got reminded of what they achieved long ago with their gold medals that hung on their wall.

Despite all the negativity, Ari was determined to get into the Oympics for cycling. When she was supposed to go to swimming lessons with her older sibilings, her dad would take her to a skate park instead. She never wanted to be another fish in her family. With her ten recent wins, an immense amount of training and strict diet, third place didn't manage to qualify her for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Unexpectantly, two weeks before the Olympics, Ari was called to attend the Olympics after the person in second was bitten by a cobra. This was exciting for her but she didn't expect to win gold.

Cycling steadily, Ari is determined to win this race. Her hands start to sweat from holding tightly onto the rubbery handlebars. Ari pushes her feet on the pedals to go faster as she makes her way into third place. Surprisingly, something feels unsteady beneath Air but before she can look down to check what it is, Ari suddenly doesn't feel the seat beneath her.

"Ahh! Help me!" crise Ari in silence. She beckons to the other competitors to assist her but none of them notice her signals and carry on. All by herself, Ari picks herself up and gets back onto her bike before starting to pedal again while hovering about her missing seat.

The cycling race continues. Ari pushes furiously on the pedals and joins back into the pack. As she cycles around the next bend, an unexpecteed pool of water sits and waits ahead of Ari. She crosses over it. The wheels get wet. Ari's front wheel slips.

"What was that?" yells her dad, as Ari's bike is like a fish out of water. Twisting, turning, going everywhere. Silence drowns the velodrome as the crowd stares in shock. Her Olympic dream is about to be crushed. Two fresh tears fall down her red cheeks, yet Ari is still determine to win the race. Ari only has to cross the finish line from second last.

Thrusting her exhausted legs, Ari makes an attempt to get into first place. Slowly and slowly, she cycles her way ahead of the pack, one Olympian by another. Thinking she can actually win the race, her teary face turns into a joyfuyl smile. Suddenly the now happy Ari becomes shocked right before the race ends.

A female scream comes behind her. It stops. A loud thud is heard. Ari slams her feet onto the shiny surface. She turns aroundto see the Croatian athlete on the floor, gripping her leg. Apparently she lost her footing and fell onto the track, leg first. Ari hops off her bike, narrowly dodging the other competitors.

"Are you alright?" Ari whispers before using her superman-like strength to lift the girl onto her feet, before doing the hundred metre walk towards the end, while the Croatian limps beside her.

"Thank you so much for helping me," she manages to say in English. As they both cross the finish line, the crowd roars with joy. Ari's dad runs from his chair and hugs Ari tightly. She is a winner, without the golden medal.

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