June 2, 2008

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

Sameer Mishra is the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ

By Vickie An

Sameer Mishra, 13, from West Lafayette, Indiana, remembers telling his mom that he was going to compete in the national spelling bee. "And if I was going to do it, I was going to win it one day," he says.

PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS—AP Sameer Mishra reacts after getting guerdon right, to win the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday night.

On Friday night, the eighth grader kept his word. Sameer was crowned king bee at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Washington, D.C., after correctly spelling guerdon. It was a winning word to end the competition, since guerdon means something that one has earned or gained, or a reward.

The Sweet Spell of Success

After 13 tongue-twisting rounds, Sameer faced off against first-time contestant Sidharth Chand, 12, from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Sidharth correctly spelled introuvable, meaning impossible to find. But he was stumped in the next round by prosopopoeia, which is a type of figure of speech. He misspelled it by just one letter.

This was Sameer's fourth appearance at the Bee. His sister and spelling coach, Shruti, competed three times before him. If Sameer was nervous, he didn't show it. His funny comments kept the audience chuckling throughout the tense competition. During the semifinals, Sameer was given the word macédoine (mas-i-DWAHN), a dessert. He joked: "That sounds good right now." Two rounds later, he misheard the word numnah, which is a sheepskin pad. When he realized what the pronouncer actually said, he remarked: "That's a relief!"

Still, says Sameer, "I'm not used to people laughing at my jokes - except for my sister." But the young comedian was all business as he spelled guerdon correctly for the win. He closed his fists tightly and raised them to his face in celebration. Sameer, who wants to be a brain surgeon when he grows up, received more than $40,000 in cash and prizes, and an engraved golden cup. "I'm really, really weak," he quipped as he lifted the heavy trophy.

JACQUELYN MARTIN—AP Last Spellers Standing: (From left) Tia Thomas, Sameer Mishra and Sidharth Chand get stressed onstage.

Bee Season

The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee kicked off on Thursday. A total of 288 champion spellers competed, the most ever in the 81-year history of the event. Contestants ranged in age from 8 to 15 and came from all over the country, as well as from around the world. The finals aired Friday night on ABC.

The spelling competition has gained popularity in recent years after appearing on the big screen in films such as 2006's Akeelah and the Bee. The 2002 Oscar-nominated documentary, Spellbound, followed eight 1999 Bee contenders. Spelling contests also made it big on Broadway, in the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show won two Tony Awards in 2005.

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