Our rules are similar to those in years past -- we have one remaining five-timer (Sriram Hathwar), and four spellers returning for their fourth year (Lucas Urbanski, Yasir Hasnain, Vanya Shivashankar, and Shayley Martin). The use of these veterans will be restricted.
So: pick two spellers, only one of whom can be one of the five spellers above. While individual spellers can be used more than once, you cannot repeat the same pairing that someone else has already submitted. First come, first served, and you cannot choose a speller once s/he spells tomorrow morning.
You will get one point for each word your spellers correctly spell during tomorrow's rounds of the Bee, which resumes at 10am eastern on ESPN2. In addition, each speller will receive an additional point for reaching primetime, to account for the computer-based cutoff after tomorrow's three live rounds. Most points wins; tiebreaker will be whoever has the individual speller going the furthest. Do not edit your entry after you've made it; if you need to make corrections, reply to your original comment.
Previous pool winners are Elicia Chamberlin in 2006 (Close/Hooks), Professor Jeff and Amy tied in 2007 (O'Dorney and Thomas/Horton), KJ in 2008 (Mishra/K Shivashankar), Cagey (K Shivashankar/Pastapur) in 2009, Bob Loblaw/Jenn tied in 2010 (Veeramani and Chemudupaty/Denniss); 2011's winner was Nupur Lala (the Roy/Ye Keystone combo); Bobby in 2012 (Nandipati/Mahankali); and Sara Miller picked the final two of 2013 (Mahankali/Sivakumar).
It's my blog, so I go first: Vanya Shivashankar and Mary Horton—the latter not because she had a perfect score in the computerized test (as did Syamantak Payra, a returning prime-timer), but because you may remember her older brother Jonathan, of whom we were big fans back in the day, and why the heck not go for a younger-sister duo?
Sriram Hathwar and Syamantak Payra
ReplyDeleteCall this the my-big-sister-won entry:
ReplyDeleteAshwin Veeramani
Vanya Shivashankar
Vanya and Jae, please.
ReplyDeleteShivashankar/Abiad
ReplyDeleteHere goes nothing: Sriram Hathwar and Alia Abiad.
ReplyDeleteI've gone with homers the last few years - no more. So my heart is rooting for Tea, but my votes are going for
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar
Syamantak Payra
Would've been my first choice for an entry as well. These two would be the safe money bet under our rules, I think.
ReplyDeleteAlaina Kenny and Maria Kaltchenko
ReplyDeleteI want Shayley Martin and Samuel Pareles.
ReplyDeleteI thought about adding Payra to the restricted list b/c of his primetime appearance, but I had to draw a line somewhere. Certainly considered him as well.
ReplyDeleteNeha Shesadri and Abarajita Rao.
ReplyDeleteSo Syamantak, Vanya, and Sriram are the only returning prime time players? Is that right?
ReplyDeleteShivashankar/Gibbison, please.
ReplyDeleteSriram Hathwar and Mary Horton
ReplyDeleteI think so; Venkatachalam in 2012 finished tied for 10th, one round short.
ReplyDeleteUrbanski and Hannah Jackson please.
ReplyDeleteMary Horton and Neha Konakalla
ReplyDeleteHorton and Urbanski please.
ReplyDeleteI got Venkatachalam and Hathwar. Very surprised Gokul hasn't been picked yet
ReplyDeleteI'll be rooting for the Virginians including Jae Canetti, but for the pool, I take Srirarm Hathwar / Joseph Cusi Delamerced. (Vanya next year!)
ReplyDeleteThat would've been my pick! Rooting for Alia too.
ReplyDeleteAlekhya Ankaraju (I will be a homer for her, not many Hoosiers make it to the finals) and Sriram Hathwar.
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar and Muriel Cotman.
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar and Samuel Pereles
ReplyDeleteNeha Seshadri missed by a round (but didn't misspell in Round 6, was eliminated on vocab) last year.
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar and Lucas Urbanski
ReplyDeleteHathwar and Kate Miller
ReplyDeleteI'll take Vanya and Gokul.
ReplyDeleteOops, my first couple choices got picked...but let's go Syamantak Payra/Alia Abiad (hat tip to Sriram, who I'd pick to win).
ReplyDeleteMaria Kaltchenko and Muriel Cotman
ReplyDeleteSriram Hathwar and Hannah Jackson
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar and Meghana Kamineni
ReplyDeleteKate Miller and Sai Vishudhi Chandrasekhar
ReplyDeleteSo many good options already taken -- I'll go with Sriram Hathwar and Aparajita Rao.
ReplyDeleteGiven that they're only doing three live rounds today, that would require one hell of a lawnmower round.
ReplyDeleteReally, only three? That's fewer than usual, I think?
ReplyDeleteSame as last year. The semifinalists all took a computerized test last night which will force a cutdown, after three rounds today, to a 12-or-fewer cohort for primetime tonight.
ReplyDeleteGibbison and Loverin
ReplyDeleteVanya Shivashankar and Harry Harman
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew about the test last night - but for some reason, I thought there were more live rounds on top of that last year.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, it's just miles different from when I competed.
Hathwar and Allingham (this is Allingham, by the way, and I'm highly offended that no one picked me :P )
ReplyDeleteBest of luck today. Wow.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! It seems like it's been a while since there was a speller from Delaware in the mix.
ReplyDeleteI would like Alia Abiad and Mary Horton, please.
ReplyDeleteYet another reminder why we love the Bee and these kids. Good luck Lillian!
ReplyDeleteRelatedly, I look down the list of semifinalists and just keep thinking, "Yeah, this is a kid I could see my kids being friends with."
Lucas Urbanski and Alia Abiad, please.
ReplyDeleteSriram Hathwar and Jae Canetti
ReplyDelete(Since last year I went with the Jerseyan who qualified in PA, I'll be consistent and not pick the New Yorker who qualified in NJ)
My bad: it's only two live rounds today. That's just brutal.
ReplyDeleteNeha Seshadri and Vanya Shivashankar
ReplyDelete1985. It was morning in America, or something like that!
ReplyDeleteVanya and Shobha Dasari, please.
ReplyDeleteAm I too late to grab Vanya and Sumedh Garimella?
ReplyDeleteToo late on Sumedh, I think he spelled before you entered. Pick someone later in the round.
ReplyDeleteVanya/Alia if available - sorry I'm on a plane and can't see all the comments.
ReplyDeleteOnly if Alia hadn't spelled by the time you typed; I can't tell.
ReplyDeleteMe neither, but I'll take Vanya/Gokul if I was too late on Alia.
ReplyDeleteThat's been taken. Stick with Vanya/Alia.
ReplyDeleteAs of this point, everyone up to and including Gokul is off-limits.
ReplyDeleteI already had that combo...
ReplyDeleteOops. Yes. Sara, Vanya + a Virginian or Freeman-Susskind is what's left.
ReplyDeleteSara emailed me: it's Vanya/Tea.
ReplyDeleteAnd now we are closed.
ReplyDeleteOn a quick run through the picks, it looks like only SIX have two spellers in the finals. Vanya's absence wreaked havoc.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if Sriram hadn't made it we'd have a pool winner already.
ReplyDeleteI recall there were at least a couple entries with two non-Sriram finalists.
ReplyDeleteYeah, jam took Horton/Konakalla, and CharlotteinPa took Abiad/Horton.
ReplyDeleteYou won the pool. Just realized I should figure that out. No one had Ansun.
ReplyDelete