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Show me the spot.
That's what I want you to do. Tell me about a specific, sports-related spot where you either saw or participated in something remarkable. It can be as small as the dent in a car made by a home run, or a particular patch of grass on a football field, or a dead spot on an ancient basketball court.
It can be much larger, too. The vacant lot where you learned to play soccer. The fishing hole you went with your dad. The wooden bleachers where you sat and saw something great.
What I'm looking for here are stories. Not videos. Not photos. Words. Remember them? Use no more than 250 of them to describe this sports spot. The spot must be located in the Carolinas and must still exist in some form (if it has been turned into a Wal-Mart or something, that's fine).
Send your story to me by e-mail or regular mail (both addresses are at the bottom of this column) by no later than July 19.
The story I like the best will receive four tickets to the Charlotte Knights “fireworks” game on July 25 as well as two “anytime” tickets to both the exhibit halls and the IMAX theater at Discovery Place.
Also, I'll come out to see the spot you described, take a picture of it and write a column about it.
The second-place finisher gets two tickets to the Knights' “fireworks” game Aug. 15. The third-place finisher will receive two Discovery Place exhibit and IMAX tickets.
Everyone who writes in will also be placed into a random drawing to win a tote bag that contains several sports-related books and an excellent DVD called “Skywalker” that profiles former N.C. State hoops legend David Thompson.
Some entries will also be published online at CharlotteObserver.com and in this newspaper. Winners of all prizes will be notified by July 21.
A few hints as you compose your masterpiece:
The more specific, the better. If you are telling me about a hole-in-one, remember that thousands of other people in the Carolinas have made one of those, too. What made this one interesting?
It's better if you write about something personal than something enormous. More than 70,000 people witnessed most of the Carolina Panthers' big wins in Bank of America Stadium. But you probably know of a spot that no one else knows about that would make a better story than a recounting of a Panther playoff win.
This sports spot needs to have some emotion attached to it for you. It can be a place where you exulted or despaired. These stories do not have to end in a celebration, either. Sometimes a defeat can be far more transforming than a victory.
It's fine to write only a single sentence. You don't have to write the 250 words you are allotted, but don't write “War and Peace,” either. And remember, no pictures.
I look forward to reading your stories.
Tell Scott your story
E-mail your entries to Scott Fowler at sfowler@charlotteobserver.com or mail to Scott Fowler, c/o The Charlotte Observer Newsroom, 600 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202.
