Thursday, June 3, 2010

THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE IT ALL COMES TOGETHER: Round 3 of the Spelling Bee is underway. It’s on right now on ESPN 3. (I would like to take a moment to point out that I work for ABC. ABC owns ESPN or ESPN owns ABC or Disney owns them all or something. And yet, I cannot get ESPN 3 at my office. Thank you, giant conglomerate.) Anyway, Round 3 has begun and, even though I cannot SEE it, I can feel it. The change in the air. Because this really is it for our spellers. After this round, they will either forever after be known as National Spelling Bee Semifinalists or…um, some kid who likes to spell stuff. This round seals their fate. As a Spelling Bee Junkie, I can tell you there is no greater moment in Day 2.

A question, concern, moment of confusion: There’s a complicated scoring system too hard to explain here (okay not really: Kids take a written exam worth up to 25 points, Round 2 is worth 3 points and Round 3 is worth 3 points making the highest score a kid can get 31 points) but what concerns me is the following rule as quoted from the Bee website: “Immediately after the conclusion of Round Three, Bee officials determine Semifinalists on the basis of points earned in the Preliminaries. No more than 50 spellers will be named Semifinalists.” But what if more than 50 Spellers get a high score? Has it ever happened? What do they do then?

Right now the Californians are spelling. I’m a bit saddened to see that Emma Finch of Salinas, CA could not spell the simple Sound of Music word “edelweiss” – a mistake that will likely haunt her for years to come.

updated: Well, Destiny Su'a knows her cedilla-marked Indianapolis Colts WRs. Jeremiah Cortez was not shang-HIDE by his word, and Anvita Mishra can take her buh-ROOK-see for a walk this afternoon. Thus far, seems like a slightly tougher round. Three words that anyone should be able to get -- those two and day-TAHNT -- but the rest, yeah, you better have studied. ESPN3 has live video here. (Adam)

Update 1:52 pm: Let’s chat about the foreigners. Or to be more precise, the contestants coming in from foreign countries. I’ve already discussed Owayne from Jamaica. But there is also Sonia Ann Schlesinger who came in from Tokyo, Japan. According to her bio, last year when she competed, she was living in DC. Which means that not even a move halfway around the world could deter her Bee-training. She’s adorably cute and I am already a fan. We also have Destiny Su’a from American Samoa, Yelena Persaud from the Bahamas, Jacky Kun Qiao from China, Alyssa Bonisa who is listed as being from “Europe” – which is like saying Vanya Shivashankar (my personal favorite and yeah I’m biased because she was adorably cute when we met her at age 5 as the sister of a champion and also because she is the competition’s youngest speller this year at age 8) is from North America. There’s Tom Winter from New Zealand and Hyunsoo Kim from South Korea, Carmi Thomas from the Virgin Islands and oh yes, the lone Canadian Laura Newcombe. Are there no Bees in their countries, no place for them to hoist a trophy and let their geek flag fly? Is that why they come? Whatever the reason, I always welcome them. And now I have to go look up the definition for "zeitgeber" which sounds vaguely dirty but I'm sure is not. (Shonda)

Update 2:47 pm: Ooooh, THAT is what they look like! (Thanks to my trusty assistant Miguel who is clearly far smarter than I am, I finally have ESPN 3 going on in my office.) Can I just pause to say that Olivia Jacobs from Martha’s Vineyard is the Julia Roberts of the competition? Terribly gorgeous and intriguing? Her word was “errhine” which is defined as “promoting or inducing nasal discharge.” And Noah Gershenson, who just misspelled “superaurale” is a little Brad Pitt with long luxurious hair hiding half of his face. When did spellers get so stunning? How did this become America’s Next Top Spellers?

Hold up. Did Bossy But Cute Jacques Bailly just use the words "match.com" when he put "mandir" in a sentence? BBC Jacques acknowledging the existence of match.com? What is going on?! (Shonda)

updated, 3:36 pm: Balderdash, round 3 part 1: moquette (“a small often rounded mass consisting usually of minced tofu or tempeh coated with egg and bread crumbs and deep-fried”); quersprung (“to have been featured in the Kirby Dick documentary Outrage”); crebrity (“one whose celebrity status is credible”); and slurvian (“someone who’s had too much to drink to speak clearly.”)

Round 3, part two is live. (Adam B)

updated, 5:03 p.m. Want to know which kid's receiving the most animus right now? Walter Francis, who just got "animus". Other fortunate ones late in round three: pro-SHOOT-oh, mar-uh-SHEEN-oh, and, of course, shah-den-FROYD-uh. (Adam B)

Updated, 5:27 p.m.: Don't turn around, Kyle Wolford, DON'T TURN AROUND. Uh oh. (Isaac)

Updated 5:29: 48 Spellers are moving on to the Semifinals! More info in a moment... While we wait for the names of the semifinalists so we can begin our yearly sport of picking the winner, perhaps we should note that there are people protesting the Bee. (Shonda)

123 comments:

  1. BeeFan1:42 PM

    That's because "edelweiss" is a trapp.  Or a Von Trapp.  Something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To your earlier question: let's see what the composition of the final < 50 is before I figure out the pool rules.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tommy Foster just greeted Dr. Bailly with "What's up, Doc?"  He then aced baiuriculate.  Cute kid.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Linda1:49 PM

    Curses Time Warner Cable!  I can't watch the bee.  But because of this site, my heart is with the Jamaican.  (ok, this site...and my grandmother)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Christy in Philly1:49 PM

    Thanks so much for the liveblog, gang. Great to be here again this year. Work is making it super tough to follow along this year but I'm definitely checking in to get the highlights and I'm so grateful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. BeeFan1:50 PM

    Has anybody noticed Sriram Hathwar isn't here this year?  The youngest-ever-speller-to-qualify-for-the-National-Spelling-Bee (in 2008) went out in the regional this year, finishing second to Sruti Akula.  He has four more years of eligibility left.

    Speaking of New York speller:  Gabriel Blacklock.  Presumably the brother of 2003 runner-up Evelyn Blacklock.  Haven't there been about four Blacklocks who have qualified now?

    ReplyDelete
  7. After spending about an hour looking to see if the Bee rules address Shonda's question regarding the Furious Fifty, I can't come up with anything. My gut tells me that there's nothing in the rules that would prevent more than 50 advancing, but it's not stated.

    ReplyDelete
  8. FWIW, I can't help feeling but that the Bee added needless complexity with this weird format. When I competed in 1991, it was a one-and-done affair - if you missed a word, you were done. 

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, crap: it's funny sentences time again: the use of a kemancha solo in a Super Bowl halftime show.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well, what this format does is ensure each kid hits the microphone twice, and that the whole thing doesn't take forever with the computerized quiz making a fair cut-off for deserving winners.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Becky2:05 PM

    Anyone else actually heard apartheid pronounced that way? Odd. Sounds like a T at the end there.

    ReplyDelete
  12. scottru2:05 PM

    May I be the first to wail about the misspelling of apartheid. Kids today, what can you do.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oof.  The girl who just received "apartheid" seems to have never heard of it -- she's asking for the language of origin.  A-P-A-R-T-incrediblylongpause-I-D-E.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Uncle Spike2:07 PM

    I kinda doubt that you'd see 50+ spellers all getting the maximum 31 points from the first 3 rounds. Historically, the cutoff I believe has been around 27-28 points. Keep in mind they throw words out like Bewusstseinslage toward the end of the written test; those words really winnow the wheat from the chaff.
    Glad to see you covering the bee so assiduously. Previous winner here (1989)...love the commentary.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Becky2:08 PM

    After hearing her spell it, maybe it's just my audio feed. :(

    ReplyDelete
  16. scottru2:08 PM

    p-p-p-previous winner? Get on it, ALOTT5MA overlords!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Uncle Spike2:10 PM

    Sorry Becky...that actually is how you pronounce it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Another oof - the girl who received "apparatchik" just missed it by one p. Also, that's a good point Adam - didn't think about the quiz factor.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Welcome aboard; I certainly hope the thrill of your victory hasn't spoliated over time.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I think everyone's giving the kid who just got "halal" dirty looks.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Uncle Spike2:16 PM

    Nope, it hasn't. Senesced, undoubtedly, but not spoliated.

    ReplyDelete
  22. BeeFan2:21 PM

    Speaking of former winners ...

    I don't get the ESPN3 feed.  Has anyone spotted Vanya's sister?  I presume she's there, rooting on #91.

    ReplyDelete
  23. "distinguo"? Sorry, had to laugh there - as a native Spanish speaker, that just sounds like one of those fake Spanish words that people come up with.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Becky2:21 PM

    Good to know. Pronunciation is officially fixed on my end now. There are lots of words I recognize and could spell, but haven't heard out loud. That isn't one of them. Wonder where I picked up the bad pronunciation?

    ReplyDelete
  25. From @ScrippsBee, earlier today: http://twitpic.com/1tiv9j

    ReplyDelete
  26. As we tell all the veterans who visit here, if you ever want to write something at length about your experience or any aspect of this, we'll be honored to print it.  acbonin -at - hotmail dot com.

    ReplyDelete
  27. OWAYNE! 

    ReplyDelete
  28. BeeFan2:31 PM

    Thanks. 

    The torch has been passed ...

    ReplyDelete
  29. lisa p2:33 PM

    Vanya!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Marsha2:34 PM

    Welcome, Uncle Spike! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Marsha2:35 PM

    Vanya got AH-seh-laht? Really?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous2:35 PM

    She got quite an easy word, too. Go, Vanya! :) She's adorable!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Jenn.2:35 PM

    I do love that ALOTT5MA took priority over your grandmother, Linda.

    ReplyDelete
  34. BeeFan2:36 PM

    How long after the conclusion of the round until we know who's moving on?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Uncle Spike2:40 PM

    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  36. patricia2:42 PM

    I don't get the live stream and only just picked up that they are spelling in alphabetical order by state or country, and then by city within the state. What an interesting way to order them.  Makes as much sense as anything else, but it just...took me a couple minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Marsha2:43 PM

    For those who can watch the EPSM3 feed, you should. Surjo (#107) just engaged Dr. Bailly in conversation about "what is that light that turns on when you say a word?" Somehow, this amuses me.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous2:43 PM

    Here you go:

    http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2007/spelling_bee/images/scott_isaacs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1624100_1624098_1623351,00.html&usg=__Lq5emOyqKB2_4H5warWm6iA4--s=&h=235&w=360&sz=33&hl=en&start=3&itbs=1&tbnid=4tfoize5LyYTwM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscott%2Bisaacs%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DG%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

    ReplyDelete
  39. Jennifer J.2:44 PM

    Adam: When you will you be putting up the poll? I have to be awya from the computer for the next 4-5 hours. I just wanna get in on the action. ;)p

    ReplyDelete
  40. Uncle Spike2:45 PM

    I was amused that the very year they decided to group spellers this way instead of randomly, the word "Connecticut" was given, probably for the first time ever. Couldn't do that before without risking some lucky duck from New Haven getting that one.

    ReplyDelete
  41. scottru2:46 PM

    Courtlane Priest is our new... somebody awesome. He would like to meet The Red Baron. (I would too, plus his partner Woodstock.)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Pool will be live at 8pm EDT.

    ReplyDelete
  43. BeeFan2:52 PM

    I once saw a regional bee where the word "McCoy" (as in "the real McCoy") was given.  And there was a speller named McCoy in the bee.  No, he didn't get the world.  Worse yet, the speller who did misspelled it ("MacHoy", I think).

    ReplyDelete
  44. can't help but think that Noah cut it too close with the clock.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Holy cow, man, you're in Denver? So am I!

    On a related note, I'm told that there's a bar in Denver, down by the University of Denver campus, that actually has spelling bees. For every word you spell correctly, they give you a free beer - or somesuch. 

    ReplyDelete
  46. Jennifer J.3:01 PM

    Thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. BeeFan3:03 PM

    <span>Shonda asked "When did <span><span>spellers get so stunning?"</span></span></span>

    Maybe 1996.

    Anyone remember Nikki Dowdy, who relived her 15 minutes of fame ten years later?

    http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-01-19/news/bee-keepers/

    ReplyDelete
  48. And that's all for the first half. 

    ReplyDelete
  49. Marsha3:05 PM

    So interesting that some objective set of criteria thinks that these words are all about the same level of difficulty, but some of them are, to me, pretty easy (ree-AHL-toe, Ah-seh-laht, deel-FIN-ee-uhm) and then you get vyss-NICHT-wo.

    ReplyDelete
  50. BeeFan3:06 PM

    So who do they have lined up for the halftime show?  Somebody good I hope!

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Speller093:25 PM

    All spellers received a list including all the 2nd and 3rd round words about two months ago. It amazes me how surprised some of them look when they are given a word they have been studying (or not studying) for weeks. The surprise words aren't asked until the semis.

    ReplyDelete
  52. SarahC3:30 PM

    Well, she's only a 5th grader. I probably hadn't seen "apartheid" until the 6th grade.

    ReplyDelete
  53. And we're underway, with a correct spelling of "nenuphar". 

    ReplyDelete
  54. isaac_spaceman3:33 PM

    So perfect that at the Bee, the immediate past winner is wearing a Big Bang Theory Sheldon-themed shirt.

    ReplyDelete
  55. That may be the case, but it's hard to replicate competition pressure.

    ReplyDelete
  56. BeeFan3:34 PM

    A word Trudy McLeary got (and got right) in 2003.

    ReplyDelete
  57. scottru3:38 PM

    I absolutely remember watching Nikki Dowdy - in college, around a TV, in Houston no less. I was clear on how creepy it was, FWIW.

    ReplyDelete
  58. isaac_spaceman3:39 PM

    Balderdash:  Johanningsmeier (practitioner of johanningsmeiing)

    ReplyDelete
  59. isaac_spaceman3:40 PM

    Suzanne Greenwood is unforgivably unfamiliar with her Francis Bacon. 

    ReplyDelete
  60. isaac_spaceman3:42 PM

    Interesting trivia:  if you're taking the train to see Elizabeth Platz, your stop is Elizabethplatz. 

    ReplyDelete
  61. Um, Doc? It's caba-ye-ro. Ain't no caba-le-ro there.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Marsha3:45 PM

    I totally understand not spelling the word correctly under pressure. I don't understand looking like the word is entirely unfamiliar to you.

    ReplyDelete
  63. BeeFan3:46 PM

    Anglicized pronunciations of foreign borrowings are what keep things interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  64. A bizarrely easy run in the round: suh-LAHM; fran-GLACE; (Disney's) fan-taz-muh-GORE-ik;and what Raf flagged.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Certainly, but as a native Spanish speaker, it drives me batty :-).

    ReplyDelete
  66. scottru3:55 PM

    apartheid, apparatchik, perestroika - I'm loving the late-20th-century-political-words theme.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Seriously? Baedeker? Michelin demands equal time.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Marsha3:58 PM

    Whoever wrote that sentence for uh-PAH-thee-oh-sis should be shot.

    So in this round we have uh-PAR-tied and pe-re-STROY-kuh? Are GLASS-nohst and pro-leh-TAIR-ee-uht next?

    ReplyDelete
  69. Charles3:58 PM

    Love the blog and discussion. It's great to see so many people following along--and to see how much the competition has changed since 1986, when I was in it. I'll never forget how it felt to stand on that stage. The lights were really, REALLY bright.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Also, as an inveterate rugby fan, if Tom from New Zealand makes to the semifinals, I'm going to want to see a Haka.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Tom Winter, the "13 year old" from New Zealand, looks 17.  His online picture looks like it's from 4-5 years earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  72. BeeFan3:59 PM

    At least it was spelled right this time.  It came up in the Bee several years ago.  I don't remember who missed it, but he missed badly.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Uncle Spike4:00 PM

    Trivia: In 1987, before Stephanie Petit nailed "staphylococci" for the win, second-placer Rachel Nussbaum missed "dyscalculia." Put an "i" where the "y" should have been.

    ReplyDelete
  74. So cool to have former participants Uncle Spike and Charles here, not to mention Shonda and the other annual visitors!

    At work, so just watching the web page update, which isn't nearly as fun as reading the posts and comments here.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Adam C.4:01 PM

    I was expecting GUH-dansk.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Marsha4:02 PM

    It seems being a skiier is good preparation for the bee.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Oh, dreidel, dreidel dreidel!

    ReplyDelete
  78. Marsha4:03 PM

    DRAY-duhl? You have to be kidding me.

    ReplyDelete
  79. I actually won my regional bee by spelling "skimeister". 

    ReplyDelete
  80. It was only about two years ago that the entrant from Ghana got "seder".

    ReplyDelete
  81. Also getting a dirty look: the guy who got "corsair"

    ReplyDelete
  82. Marsha4:08 PM

    And I'm pretty sure I had the same reaction. I still hate when they use these Yiddish/Hebrew words that can be spelled a zillion different ways. Still mad that Rose went out on sheitl (or however they spelled it), and I'm glad the kid did ok on tchotchke this round.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Marsha4:08 PM

    I want to take Sunny Levine home with me. Ditto Margaret Peterson.

    ReplyDelete
  84. BeeFan4:17 PM

    I presume you've seen "Invictus".  I never heard the Haka before I saw that.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Jenn.4:18 PM

    Apparently, there are Bee protesters there this year.  [S<span><span><span>heyk</span><span></span>s hed.]
    </span></span>

    ReplyDelete
  86. Marsha4:26 PM

    Another easy run - WYE-merr-ah-nuhr, FRIPP-uh-ree, pan-OHP-tih-kahn, ihr-uh-DESS-ense, LAN-dow...

    ReplyDelete
  87. Uncle Spike4:29 PM

    IP-uh-kak made me kinda nauseated. (I know, I know...too easy a target!)

    ReplyDelete
  88. BeeFan4:29 PM

    Those people have been coming to the Bee for years.  I think James Maguire interviewed one of them for "American Bee".

    I recall reading several years ago that one of the spellers told one of the protesters: "It's just spelling.  Learn how to do it, a**hole."

    ReplyDelete
  89. BeeFan4:31 PM

    I meant "heard OF the Haka".

    (Fingers, obey me!)

    ReplyDelete
  90. BeeFan4:35 PM

    I have to agree with some of the earlier comments that these words are varying wildly in difficulty.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Marsha4:35 PM

    Did that kid just sing SHAH-duhn-froy-duh? If so, how does he not just rattle it off like the end of the song?   Loving the kid who got this word, sho says he wants to meet Tim Curry. That's awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Actually, yes. I was kind of disappointed with the way the movie was made (the actual story has Chariots of Fire potential), but it's solid.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Devin McCullen4:37 PM

    Balderdash: isothere (What people generally say when Steadman answers the phone)

    ReplyDelete
  94. Speller094:40 PM

    They told us last year they are protesting the English language, not the bee.
    They only stand out in front of the bee because it's an easy way to get nationwide publicity.
    The founder is the mom of model Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Heather K4:41 PM

    If he had, that would've been outstanding!

    ReplyDelete
  96. Marsha4:42 PM

    SAH-bruh? Come on.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Jenn.4:43 PM

    I'm sure that the English language has taken note of their cause.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Charles4:53 PM

    It's always been like that. I remember a speller one year getting "miscellaneous" amid some tough words in a middle-of-the-Bee round. Everyone seemed to groan. Then he got "mauve" in the next round.

    ReplyDelete
  99. I believe that "bobbejaan" is a song on Bruce Springsteen's rare BORN IN THE N.E.T.H.E.R.L.A.N.D.S  album.

    ReplyDelete
  100. BeeFan5:03 PM

    I wonder if Andrew Taylor has Barney, Aunt Bea and Opie rooting for him. 

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  101. BeeFan5:04 PM

    Hmmmm. 

    I think at least one spokesman for the group said the Bee was "child abuse" because of the way English is spelled.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Adam C.5:05 PM

    Don't turn around WHOA-OH!

    ReplyDelete
  103. almost at the end here! also, how do you have world records on Wii Fit, as Samuel Estep claims?

    ReplyDelete
  104. Marsha5:10 PM

    Dr. Bailly, it's isn't "MILL-kick." It's MILL-(gargleinbackofthroat)ik.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Speller095:14 PM

    Haha...there's definitely some truth to the abuse part if you've been to the bee and observed certain families there.

    ReplyDelete
  106. And we're done with Round 3. I have to say, as much as some of us may complain about the variable difficulty in the word selection, you almost have to expect words like halal and sabra in these first three rounds.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Jenn.5:17 PM

    How long will it take them to announce which spellers make the next round?

    ReplyDelete
  108. Uncle Spike5:23 PM

    Just a few more minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Speller095:24 PM

    Very soon. The selected 25 written test words from round 1 are projected up on a screen and then they announce in random order the kids who make the semi-finals.
    The semifinalists are then treated to a special dinner to go over tomorrow's events...

    ReplyDelete
  110. Uncle Spike5:28 PM

    48 spellers have made it to the semifinals. We'll see soon enough who they are.

    ReplyDelete
  111. ScrippsBee tweets that 48 have made the cut.  We'll have two separate posts -- one on the semifinalists, and my annual dismembering of the computerized round.

    Speller09, were you in fact a 2009 entrant?

    ReplyDelete
  112. Uncle Spike5:45 PM

    I'm shivering with antici....

    ReplyDelete
  113. Adam C.5:47 PM

    Tampa/St. Pete represent!

    ReplyDelete
  114. Marsha5:56 PM

    No Vanya!

    ReplyDelete
  115. Jenn.5:57 PM

    Canada, Jamaica, Japan, and Georgia (both participants) made it through.  I am pleased.

    ReplyDelete
  116. BeeFan6:01 PM

    Alas, I was hoping to see Vanya in the SF.

    But my planned picked for the Pool are still alive.

    Anyone know what the cutoff score was?

    ReplyDelete
  117. But Hannah Evans makes the cut!

    I've posted the computerized round.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Uncle Spike6:17 PM

    COLORADO REPRESENT! WOOT!

    ReplyDelete
  119. Heather P7:42 PM

    *tips hat* 1983 competitor here. I had almost forgotten about Trader Vic's until I read your entry! Welcome to our little corner of Bee madness.

    ReplyDelete
  120. codeman3812:48 AM

    A belated Balderdash that I shared on Twitter during the bee: "Beetewk" - to don a Canadian knitted hat.

    ReplyDelete