Posted on 06/02/2005 1:24:02 PM PDT by nuconvert
Anurag Kashyap Wins National Spelling Bee
Thursday, June 02, 2005
WASHINGTON — Bursting into tears, eighth-grader Anurag Kashyap (search) of California became the U.S. spelling champ Thursday, beating out 272 other spellers in a tough two days of competition. He said he felt "just pure happiness."
Anurag, 13, of Poway, clinched "appoggiatura," a melodic tone, to take home some $30,000 in prizes. He won in the 19th round of the 78th Annual National Scripps Spelling Bee.
Also among 27 spellers remaining at the end of the sixth round Thursday afternoon were a half dozen home-schoolers. Home-schooled students have won twice, in 1997 and 2000.
Eighth-grader Hannah Smith, home-schooled in Prior Lake, Minn., laughed and shook her head as though she couldn't believe she'd done it after correctly spelling "nemathelminth," a kind of worm.
Others still on stage included a spelling whiz from Canada and one from Jamaica, the only two foreign students remaining.
Finola Hackett, a seventh-grader in Tofield, Alberta, mastered "whiffet," a small or unimportant person.
Jamaican eighth-grader Stacey-Ann Pearson advanced by spelling "mycetophagous," which means feeding on fungi.
Fellow Jamaican Jody-Anne Maxwell in 1998 became the only foreign student to ever win the competition since it was opened internationally some two decades ago.
Thursday was the second and final day of the 78th annual National Scripps Spelling Bee. On Wednesday, 222 spellers were eliminated from an original field of 273.
"I'll just do the best I can," Louisville, Ky., seventh-grader John Tamplin said Wednesday night after making it through the fourth round by spelling "flamborough." It's an old English sword dance.
Most of the contestants at the bee's start were from the United States and its territories, but 14 were foreign students. There were 11 from Canada and one each from the Bahamas, Jamaica and New Zealand.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
With name like he has he had to be a good speller.
Well there was an English guy who lost because he thought auspices was two words.
It would seem like knowledge of Latin and Greek would be most useful in such a contest, as well as familiarity with basic phonology.
No - but what she did to BJC made her mycetophagous.
Appparently, the two remaining spellers went round after round after round w/o being able to determine a winner.
The judges eventually decided upon a tie-breaker, whereby one student had to spell their opponent's name....
Congrats to all the participants!
My principal "forgot" to take me to the state finals the year I won the local spelling bee. Never forget that.
You'd be amazed how many 'new' homophones I discover teaching ESL (even under don't ask don't tell).
I'll bet. Spelling bees in Texas were a nightmare: "Could we get someone from the NORTH to read the words?"
I understand, it's hard to find a Texan who can read much less pronounce :D
Amazing no one has made fun of the name yet in this thread.
Yer so funny, Yank!
I was a finalist also, but blew it on "advertise." Forgot the "v", I was nervous.
I messed up on usually :-) I used to love getting into math and spelling bees.
LOL kids are the best!
My first thought too
Ted Kennedy was knocked out in the first round in his grade school because he thought "harass" was two words.
No definition? That doesn't sound fair.
It was out of sequence.
With name like he has he had to be a good speller.
We had a guy whose name was something like Kampheng Sengmanyphet. We called him Campho-Phenique. It was easier to pronounce. Actually, he didn't mind it.
Ted Kennedy was knocked out in the first round in his grade school because he thought "harass" was two words.
No, it's because he refused to spell Chap--whatever.
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