4. A season of hockey is long and grueling, and no one is more deserving of some fun times than the overworked players of the Great Falls Grizzlies. As the newly appointed fun director, I’m taking the initiative to develop a biweekly meetup at the local barcade. A bunch of hockey players will almost always jump at the chance to drink some brews and play some chel, but this is a little bit more elite of an experience.
The facility in mind is luxurious to say the least: premium 80” monitors and massive plush sectional couches fill the primary game rooms, where the team can relax and enjoy a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine while they go head-to-head with their teammates. Whether it’s chel, COD, or some other game, the barcade has exactly what they’re looking for - we made sure of it.
If console gaming gets boring, the team can meander over to the arcade cabinets and pinball machines in the adjacent play area to test their skills against retro classics. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to resist the siren call of The Simpsons or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade cabinets, especially with a group of friends.
It doesn’t end there, though: the barcade features a go-kart track already. A bit suspicious that a place that sells alcohol also allows you to drive little cars, but I promise you it’s a thing and it’s totally allowed. This is a great way for the boys to be super reckless and self-destructive without preventing them from showing up to practice the next day. We considered snowboarding or skiing or whatever, but the knuckleheads are so prone to injury even when they’re doing something that they’re good at, we couldn’t risk the very likely possibility of them doing something stupid on the slopes. (305 words)


14. Boone Breakaway had mixed results in his first season as an SMJHL player, but his effort was always high. To rest the muscles and recover mentally, Boone has rented a lake house somewhere in the south of the eastern US. Oh, let’s say Tennessee. He and his friends from back in the day (and any teammates who care to come along) will all spend a week or two in decompression mode: There’s a pair of pontoon boats tied off at their private dock, a little sandy beach with a volleyball net, and even a few jet skis.

The guys will get up to the usual man vacation stuff: go fishing, grill meats (but not the fish, red meat only), drink dark liquor over ice, and play cards. Boone has been sharpening up his skills at cornhole and darts, too, he’s hoping that he will rack up some of the wins that he missed out on during the season. As a hockey player, he doesn’t get to spend a whole lot of time in the hot sunny weather, so Boone is making a point to soak in the warmth as much as possible while he can. He will either come back from the off season a respectable bronze or a lobstery red. Either way, there will be visible proof that he was in the sun a lot.

A week or two of downtime like this will be just what the doctor ordered, and Breakaway will be ready to rush back to Great Falls and get on the ice to prep for the upcoming season. (263 words)



16. I have a few goals both for Boone and for myself within the league for my career, but nothing astronomical or unachievable; I don’t want to set a goal that relies on luck. I’d like for Boone to reach at least 1500 TPE during his prime. With some folks hitting 2000, I don’t think I’m reaching for the stars with that goal necessarily, it’s more a matter of staying plugged in. I’d also like to fortify my bank account over my career to the tune of $100 million or so. Which brings me to my personal goals: 1) secure and maintain a well paying site job, and 2) be (and stay) active in the locker rooms and general SHL discord. As for the first personal goal, I’ve been hired, so things are coming along swimmingly there. I’ve barely been active in the general SHL discord though, so I have a lot of work to do there. (156 words)



17. This version of CW compared to the previous one is a huge improvement for me personally. The freedom to respond in short or long form responses to each prompt is huge. Previously, I have felt like I was abbreviating my responses to some prompts because I’d already reached the word count requirements, while for others I would be struggling to put together a more verbose answer to a prompt that I could answer with fewer words than the prompt demanded. Being able to truly pick and choose to this degree makes the task feel much less like a chore and more like a fun opportunity to do some creative writing. (110 words)