tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post6613690996798025413..comments2024-02-29T03:29:52.934-05:00Comments on A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago: Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-15275030871257261042015-05-29T00:08:22.700-04:002015-05-29T00:08:22.700-04:00I don't know the exact year. The late 1990s, p...I don't know the exact year. The late 1990s, perhaps? There was a two-time champion in 1996 and 1997, so I'm pretty sure it happened soon after that.Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-65932106445755162082015-05-29T00:05:23.869-04:002015-05-29T00:05:23.869-04:00Yeah, agreed about Katie. (Bee trivia: nee Katie K...Yeah, agreed about Katie. (Bee trivia: nee Katie Kerwin, 1979 NSB Champ, and one of the very few people on the face of the planet who can legitimately claim that she beat Jacques Bailly in a spelling bee...at the 1979 Rocky Mountain News bee.)Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-27055060497193966482015-05-28T17:59:58.377-04:002015-05-28T17:59:58.377-04:00Makes me almost glad the Rocky Mountain News went ...Makes me almost glad the Rocky Mountain News went under in 2009, a victim of the Great Recession.<br /><br />Except that Katie Maccrimmon was among those rendered unemployed. She deserved better, at least.BeeFannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-51620062911894734712015-05-28T17:57:17.655-04:002015-05-28T17:57:17.655-04:00Scott, do you know what year the Rocky Mountain Ne...Scott, do you know what year the Rocky Mountain News (or Denver Post) started their no-repeat-winner rule?meco1999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-17429144748886624952015-05-28T17:51:32.465-04:002015-05-28T17:51:32.465-04:00Well, sure. And another arbitrary thing is that so...Well, sure. And another arbitrary thing is that some states send multiple reps and some - like Kentucky and Mississippi - only send one. (I guess Manu lives in the Northern KY burbs and so qualified out of Cincinnati) It's such a patchwork of different sorts of sponsor arrangements.Lorinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-79299482482912185172015-05-28T17:50:27.823-04:002015-05-28T17:50:27.823-04:00Jamaica also has always had a rule about their win...Jamaica also has always had a rule about their winner only being allowed to go to Scripps once. Thus, Jody-Anne Maxwell in '98 was one of the very few first-time spellers to win Scripps.meco1999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-33045891148801255812015-05-28T16:23:00.077-04:002015-05-28T16:23:00.077-04:00I'm not a fan of this rule, either. (Before th...I'm not a fan of this rule, either. (Before this rule came into being, I went to DC three times, and only won on my third attempt.) But I know the bee director, and believe me, she will not be swayed. She will complain about everyone around her who tries to persuade her to allow Denver Post winners to compete again if they've won before, but she will not budge. She knows my position on this matter, too, and I think she's even tried to convince me to change my views. But nope. Long as she runs the bee, we will only have newbies competing - and Colorado's chances of having a national winner (aside from Boulder) is virtually nil.Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-14990090848314021582015-05-28T16:17:03.133-04:002015-05-28T16:17:03.133-04:00That's kind of nuts. I mean, I see their point...That's kind of nuts. I mean, I see their point (the National Bee doesn't allow repeat winners either) but then that should be the same all over - some kids shouldn't be allowed to be 5-timers and others can't just because of where they live.Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-63274860226683798742015-05-28T16:13:25.443-04:002015-05-28T16:13:25.443-04:00Oh, this came up in 2008 -- here's a news stor...Oh, this came up in 2008 -- here's a news story about Jake Smith. Rocky Mountain News doesn't allow for repeat winners, so one sibling moved to another part of the state (with dad) so both he and his brother could qualify. http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13097788Adam B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-9561139094389249472015-05-28T16:07:20.579-04:002015-05-28T16:07:20.579-04:00Can you say more about "does not allow their ...Can you say more about "does not allow their winners to compete again" - I've never heard of this...Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-22902963772578021562015-05-28T16:03:09.242-04:002015-05-28T16:03:09.242-04:00Oh, believe me. As Sylvie's coach, I was obvio...Oh, believe me. As Sylvie's coach, I was obviously cheering her on, but I also felt terrible about being put in a position of potentially cheering *against* a speller, hoping they'd be eliminated so Sylvie could make the finals. (These feelings were made a bit more acute by the fact that the Denver Post does not allow their winners to compete again, so I wanted Sylvie to make the finals pretty badly.) And my sentiments were echoed by more than one person in the ballroom...especially parents. And what about those parents whose kids are in that crossfire? Who wants to cheer against a kid? Who wants to be that kid? Or that kid's parents? This is not behavior to emulate or encourage.Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-81573465138489621712015-05-28T14:54:47.387-04:002015-05-28T14:54:47.387-04:00See this article for some of the issues that might...See this article for some of the issues that might come up: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/business/media/20genius.html?_r=0 It was a little different there, since preferred contestants were apparently being fed "hints," but the logic would apply to any rules that would seem to deliberately favor one contestant over another.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-59940517078095339192015-05-28T14:50:44.329-04:002015-05-28T14:50:44.329-04:00That just sucks beyond belief. I feel so bad for t...That just sucks beyond belief. I feel so bad for those kids. :(Barbara Williamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-60018474548849993472015-05-28T14:39:15.644-04:002015-05-28T14:39:15.644-04:00It's updated now.It's updated now.Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-80296517445570854852015-05-28T14:38:38.284-04:002015-05-28T14:38:38.284-04:00Precisely. And, of course, they ended the round wi...Precisely. And, of course, they ended the round with only 21 spellers left. If you cut all the stupid stuff from prime time, you can do prime time with 21. Or do one more round today and we'd end up cutting this down to the right number.Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-75315010349646630632015-05-28T14:23:02.685-04:002015-05-28T14:23:02.685-04:00It's a really complicated question, made even ...It's a really complicated question, made even more so by the fact that the competitors are minors, who can't enter into enforceable contracts on their own. The other complicating issue would be that the Bee is at least arguably subject to the federal laws concerning televised games and contests (which date back to the quiz show scandals of the 50s), which have very strict requirements of their own. Before they changed rules in midstream, both Scripps and ESPN/Disney legal would have to sign off, and I expect they'd be VERY reluctant to do so. (Though Disney/ESPN may have an indemnity from Scripps.)Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-16836035448552995662015-05-28T14:01:49.604-04:002015-05-28T14:01:49.604-04:00does the existence of Rules create an enforceable ...does the existence of Rules create an enforceable contract with the spellers, or just the PR problem?Adam B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-45097616121310279062015-05-28T13:55:52.693-04:002015-05-28T13:55:52.693-04:00I guess what I'd have expected in that situati...I guess what I'd have expected in that situation is a LOT of heated discussion behind the scenes and with Scripps Legal. And yes, they probably would have wound up squelching it, but I'd bet a lot that it would have been seriously considered.Adam C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-64520590763264250912015-05-28T13:53:24.570-04:002015-05-28T13:53:24.570-04:00I would think Scripps legal would put the kibosh o...I would think Scripps legal would put the kibosh on that. They can set whatever rules they want, but changing the rules DURING the contest gets nasty (both from a legal and a PR standpoint) because it could be perceived as rigging the contest to help a preferred candidate.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-72765199824031852052015-05-28T13:53:10.285-04:002015-05-28T13:53:10.285-04:00So this was purely a function of the dumb cutoff a...So this was purely a function of the dumb cutoff at 12 creating a bizarre outcome.Adam C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-84225743291560317872015-05-28T13:49:09.557-04:002015-05-28T13:49:09.557-04:00I didn't notice anyone who chose Siddharth, Sn...I didn't notice anyone who chose Siddharth, Snehaa, or Sylvie.Adam C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-10818018950422797432015-05-28T13:48:16.823-04:002015-05-28T13:48:16.823-04:00Right - Tejas had not spelled yet, so there was a ...Right - Tejas had not spelled yet, so there was a chance for all three tied at 11 (Sam, Sai & Srinath) if Tejas later missed.Adam C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-61285843835705626052015-05-28T13:46:33.885-04:002015-05-28T13:46:33.885-04:00Just did a quick run-through - feel free to check ...Just did a quick run-through - feel free to check me again, but I didn't see anyone with only one finalist who was not represented in the above pairs. Lots with one of Gokul, Vanya, and Dev; two with Cole and a non-finalist; one with Paul and a non-finalist.Adam C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-24075146236799326892015-05-28T13:43:35.196-04:002015-05-28T13:43:35.196-04:00Well, if Tejas subsequently erred, Sam could'v...Well, if Tejas subsequently erred, Sam could've gotten in?Adam B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-87067585739351402392015-05-28T13:39:27.765-04:002015-05-28T13:39:27.765-04:00So Sam was in a position where he knows that if he...So Sam was in a position where he knows that if he spells correctly, he and 2 others are eliminated, but if he misses only he is out?<br /><br />What a horrible position to put an 8th grader in. Or any human, for that matter.<br /><br />But I guess the only difference between this year and past years is that now he knows, where before he would be in the same situation but not know, which is better, I guess?Bennoreply@blogger.com