The moment had arrived. After hundreds of hours spent studying thousands of words, only six letters stood between Erik Zyman-Carrasco, 12, and a third trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Would all that time poring over his dictionary pay off again this year?
After a deep breath, Erik spelled "z-e-p-h-y-r," then pumped his fists in jubilation. Erik's win, in New York City on March 23, enables him to join 263 other regional champs, who will all compete at the 77th-annual nationals in Washington, D.C., in June.
"There won't be much pressure, because being there means you're already a champion," Erik told TFK. Even so, his goal is to win the $12,000 first prize. He placed seventh last year and 10th two years ago.
Erik is one of more than 10 million kids nationwide who take part in spelling bees every year. At the national bee, super spellers in eighth grade or lower represent Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and every state except Vermont. One recent competitor was only 8 years old! The finalists compete in front of 1,000 people and an ESPN television audience of millions.
TOUGH COMPETITION
One of the spellers going up against Erik will be Brady Yoon, 14, of Anaheim Hills, California. Brady beat out some 500 kids from his school and about 50 winners from other California schools to qualify for the all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
Brady's older sister made it to the national bee in 1998. More than 25 of the spellers who qualified for this year's bee have siblings who have competed at the nationals.
In addition to spelling, Brady participates in the Science Olympiad and in academic pentathlons. Like many outstanding spellers, Brady excels at multiple activities.
Spelling champs study an average of five to 15 hours a week. Some of that time is spent mastering lists of difficult words. But most spellers also practice word sleuthing. That means they learn to use language clues to figure out the spelling of unfamiliar words.
SPELLING TRADITIONS
Spelling bees date to the 1700s. They have almost always been in English, says Paige Kimble, the director of the National Spelling Bee--and the 1981 champion. "In almost all other languages, words are spelled how they sound," she says.
For most kids who participate in bees at the local level, going to the nationals isn't everything. Many kids just enjoy the chance to learn new words and to gain confidence in front of an audience.
Eleven-year-old Jonathan Cohen of Rhode Island won his school bee as a fourth grader last year. But he didn't do well enough in the state's bee last month to qualify for this year's nationals. He plans to try again next year, when he's in the sixth grade. "I really like the complexity of the English language," Jonathan says, "and how there are so many different ways to spell a word. That challenge is what makes it fun."
THINK!
How would you prepare for a spelling contest? Which of the
words that you use are the hardest to spell?
Many bees pick words from a book called Paideia. Spellers study it to prepare. The book lists more than 3,600 words. The five below are not the toughest, but they're the ones most often tested at competitions. Quiz your friends to see how well they can spell.
grandeur -- nobility or greatness of character
connoisseur -- a person with expert knowledge
chandelier -- a branched, decorative lighting fixture
lugubrious -- mournful, dismal or gloomy
bagatelle -- a short, light piece of verse or music