sports

Poetry·Petros Korahais — A student's back-to-school list prioritizes soccer gear, cologne, and hair gel over school supplies, reluctantly adding pencils at the end.

Personal Narrative·Aleen Watson — A young runner battles self-doubt and physical exhaustion while competing against 349 other girls at the cross-country Junior Olympics in Texas.

Story·Autumn E. Weinreich — A hermit crab named Kermit faces school bullies, challenges them to an exoball game, and wins by riding on opponents' shells, transforming his social status.

Story·Emma Chen Rolufs — A chicken named Rico dreams of becoming a Skyclash champion despite everyone's doubts, trains secretly for months, and defeats the school bully Tony in the championship match.

Story·Jaxton Goertzen — An alien student named Gooby finds a rare ancient coin that magically traps his hand in a fist, threatening his chance to become the first alien on the basketball team.

Personal Narrative·Sophie Li — A girl races classmates to determine relay order, but when she beats the 'perfect' girl, her competitor lies about the result, leaving the truth unresolved.

Personal Narrative·Claire Pan, age 11 — An eight-year-old navigates her first solo bus ride, ice-skating camp, and the small victories of a shy kid finding courage in new experiences.

Personal Narrative·Audrey Tushman, age 12 — A gymnast describes the sensory experience of competition, from entering the arena through her floor routine, emphasizing drive over winning.

Story·Evelyn Mealer, age 9 — A gymnast who loses her love for the sport after her favorite coach retires discovers she's a talented runner and makes it to the Olympic trials.

Personal Narrative·Augusta Koch-Cochrane, age 12 — A nervous rider at a Halloween Horse Show discovers that personal accomplishment and encouraging others matters more than winning first place.