empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

Austyn Krueger

ides of March
a warm breeze
running in the park

Adam Peters

left foot
right foot
don't tell me to go faster

Eli Cook

running for my life
I'm going nowhere
treadmill

Katelyn Rumph

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

running for my life
I'm going nowhere
treadmill

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

bottom quarter champion

sore muscles
I get back
into bed

music blasting
can't feel my legs
last lap

sore muscles
I get back
into bed

music blasting
can't feel my legs
last lap

Austyn Krueger

in the pool
holding my breath
to outlast my opponent

Alex Cardascio

sore muscles
I get back
into bed

Brandon Januska

swollen mark
from the fall
rosy cheeks

Lexy Bieber

TOP half champion

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

CHAMPION

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

BOTTOM half champion

dragonfly
I have become the master
of Wii Fit yoga

Nic Sanders

sun salutation
I reach
for my toes

Kendall Kott

whipping and turning
looking forward
pointe away from trouble

Eve Greenwell

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

Eve Greenwell

dragonfly
I have become the master
of Wii Fit yoga

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

bottom quarter champion

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

winding mountain trail
the hikers relax
by the river

beating
my fears of failure . . .
bench press

Nicole Koch

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

Francesca Rios

steep mountain
I pedal my bike
until I run out of air

Alex Cardascio

winding mountain trail
the hikers relax
by the river

Kyler Fear

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

Austyn Krueger

ides of March
a warm breeze
running in the park

Adam Peters

left foot
right foot
don't tell me to go faster

Eli Cook

running for my life
I'm going nowhere
treadmill

Katelyn Rumph

This is a great combination because of the strong ties between running and the reasoning behind it. The first one, I feel is someone who is running for the enjoyment of it, yet joined a group that uses it for competition. Therefore, they do the action, yet despise the idea of going beyond comfort. The second has a few different ways of reading, which is why I think it is the better haiku. It changes with each line. The first line seems very dire. They are running for their life! Why would they be doing this? The second line gives more meaning to the first. It is as if all their effort is pointless. But the third line pulls it all together because it gives the reason why they are running yet going nowhere. Yet it still leaves much up to speculation to why they are running for their life? That's why I think it wins. Nic

empty park
melting snow
first run of spring

Austyn Krueger

running for my life
I'm going nowhere
treadmill

Katelyn Rumph

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

Eve Greenwell

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

Eve Greenwell

These two haiku's were paired up after winning one round and I chose the first one. The first one every line is a change in scenery, but the changes are linked. You're first taken to a park, then brought to winter, then to spring and it works here because of the last line. I really like how it waits to give the focus of the haiku until after you have this strong picture in your head of the setting. I also really like it because it's open to interpretation. Why is someone running while snow is on the ground? Is it because they are a die-hard runner, stressed, angry, sad, or what? It's open to however the reader takes it. The second one I read it as life as the main focus. The first line makes you wonder why are they running for their life? Are they overweight and it's a health issue? Are they running because they have some other kind of health issue and it's a stress reliever? I understand the second and third line make it so they're not really getting anywhere because they're on a treadmill, but I feel like they had it as their life is going nowhere. And life is supposed to be this precious thing and I think it would be a lot better if the first line was changed. I just don't think it flows as well as the first one. I feel like the first one on because it truly captured a setting as well as a solid picture the third I don't know where they are or what they're really feeling. Francesca

I really liked both of these haiku. I liked the comedic effect that was used in the first one and since I have some dancing experience, I was able to easily connect with it. I liked in the second one how it took a large scale in the first line and then narrowed the focus in the second line. Going from a crowded stadium to a single person is a huge contrast and I loved the effect that it had on the haiku. It was difficult to choose which one I liked better, but in the end I chose the second one because I could feel myself in the stadium hearing the crowd and looking at a single person. Being able to envision myself in the haiku is why I chose the second one to advance. Brandon

music blasting
can't feel my legs
last lap

Austyn Krueger

in the pool
holding my breath
to outlast my opponent

Alex Cardascio

sore muscles
I get back
into bed

Brandon Januska

swollen mark
from the fall
rosy cheeks

Lexy Bieber

I believe the one on the left wins because of how personal it can get for a person compared to the one of the right. The one on the right describes someone after they have fallen on their face. It also does not flow as well as the one on the left does. The one on the left has a good flow to it and paints a scene that the other one has a little bit of difficulty doing for me. Overall, the winner is the one on the right because of the image it depicts for me and the flow is better. Alex

dragonfly
I have become the master
of Wii Fit yoga

Nic Sanders

sun salutation
I reach
for my toes

Kendall Kott

whipping and turning
looking forward
pointe away from trouble

Eve Greenwell

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

Eve Greenwell

I thought this was an interesting matchup. I definitely thought that the dragonfly haiku would win just because it is much more playful and humorous than the other one. Even though the other one was pleasant to read, it just didn't get me thinking deeper. It was a simple haiku, whereas the winning haiku hit my funny bone. Nicole

I think this match was the most interesting. I found it funny how in the left haiku took more of a humor approach to yoga, where the one on the right is much more relaxing. Although these haiku are both on the same concept, I had very different thoughts when I read them both. When I read the one on the right, I had very peaceful thoughts. I was imagining people on the beach doing yoga and hearing only the sounds of the waves slamming the sand on the beach. When I read the one on the left, I was thinking about someone in their living room being overly excited about finally accomplishing their goal of becoming a Wii fit master. Austyn

dragonfly
I have become the master
of Wii Fit yoga

Nic Sanders

hard day's work
letting loose
at the barre

Eve Greenwell

This was a hard match-up for me decide between to be the top quarter champion, because both of these haiku had similar qualities that were presented well. Both haiku have some sort of comedic relief, which made them enjoyable to read. The 'dragonfly' haiku started out serious, but the last line gives the reader a little chuckle, as the serious mastery has turned to only be of a workout interactive game. The 'hard day's work' haiku had a play on words at the end. Some people after a hard, long day of work go to a bar to drink and let go of some stress. In this case, the bar spelled barre was referring to a ballet barre, which also makes sense because exercising and dancing can release tension and stress. I like the surprise of the first haiku, but I enjoy the pun and double meaning of the second haiku a little better. Ultimately, a 'hard day's work' haiku came up on top, since the haiku was open for more than one interpretation, which makes it a diverse haiku for its audience to read and enjoy. Kendall

I thought that this was the most interesting match in the haiku competition from class the other day. I think that I really enjoyed this match because these were the funniest haikus that I found on the page. I like the first one because you never really know what the last line will say, and you find it in a more profound way until you read the last line, which made it comedic. I liked the second one, because when you read it, you associate the word barre with the word bar, and you overall don't understand the pun unless you know what a barre is. These are also the biggest differences between the two haikus, but overall this was a very hard decision for me to make as to which one was my favorite to choose. In the end, I chose the one about the barre, because the play on words made it a refreshing and new haiku for the class and for me to read. Katelyn

beating
my fears of failure . . .
bench press

Nicole Koch

a crowded stadium
the young man
steps onto the turf

Francesca Rios

steep mountain
I pedal my bike
until I run out of air

Alex Cardascio

winding mountain trail
the hikers relax
by the river

Kyler Fear

I liked both of these, but I felt the first one was my personal favorite. Both haiku present adversity. Both represent a struggle. The distinction in my mind was that the first one is private and the second is on display. I enjoy the prospect of the private struggle. You win races and games from practice off the track or field. Eli

This was my favorite matchup of Haiku throughout the entire page, and I think that it is because I can so well relate to both of them. I have had a bench press bar on my chest with my heart beating as I try to muster up the strength to push it off. I have also been in a very crowded stadium in a baseball tournament I played in the Dominican Republic while representing the United States. The latter was my choice to move on because I love how it is analogous to life, as well. A person stepping into a new situation with all eyes on him or her can be a very scary event for anyone. I really like how the crowded stadium Haiku appeals to the senses. I can almost picture myself stepping out of that tunnel onto the field, and that is why I prefer this one. Adam

As we discussed in class I like that one of these if very personal and private and one is a shared experience. For the first one I feel like it is someone who is afraid of failure, or at least hates it, and instead of facing their fear and understanding why they feel that way, they beat the fear by continually pushing themselves. Also, as I discussed in class, I thought of someone who had been beat, maybe a young boy, and now feared failing to live up to the expectation of the person beating them. Working hard on the bench press is the way this boy takes out his aggression. Or it could even be that he is determined to become stronger so that he can take on the person who keeps beating him, but he fears what would happen if he doesn't get strong enough.

For the second one, I feel like this person is maybe an athlete who just went pro and is about to play their first game. The way it says young makes me think he is new to the sport and definitely young compared to the others. The crowded stadium makes me think this isn't just any high school kid, probably a professional game. As you read that first line you immediately picture a huge stadium and hear the screaming fans.

Both these haiku have really good first lines that catch the readers' attention. In the first, you don't quite know where the haiku is going to take you and it peaks your interest, whereas in the second you get that immediate image in your head which grabs your attention in a different way. Although the second is much more straight forward, it also could have some very interesting back story, and makes you curious who the young man is. Both of these are very nice haiku. Eve

This match surprised me. The latter haiku won, but I voted for the former. The problem I had with the latter was the fact that is explicitly stated that the hikers were relaxing. I wish it would've showed instead of told. I liked the motivation in the first one. You pedal all the way until you run out of air, not when you arrive at your destination. If the second haiku switched the word "relax" for "lounge" I probably would have voted for it. Lexy