2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee Schedule

The 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee

This year, 277 spellers will compete for the title of 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.

Schedule

Preliminaries
May 30, 8am - 5:30pm
Live on ESPN3.com

Semifinals
May 31, 10am - 1pm
Live on ESPN2

Championship Finals
May 31, 8pm - 10pm
Live on ESPN

Two Official Five-Peats!!!!

I was researching for spelling bee articles, when one of them popped out at me. When I saw the words For the fifth straight year..., I opened the article. http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Danbury-boy-spells-it-like-it-is-3432399.php Rahul Malayappan will be heading back to the Scripps National Spelling Bee for his fifth time! His winning word was dihedral. 

The other five-peat is Nicholas Rushlow who tied for 14th last year. Both Rahul and Nicholas are no longer eligible to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee after this year.

There have not been five-peats at the Bee since Matthew Evans and Tia Thomas in 2008, but there has not been a five-peat champion since Kerry Close in 2006. If either five-peat wins, that speller will be the second five-peat to ever win the Scripps National Spelling Bee!

Good luck!

Utah Valley Spelling Bee Champion/Official Five-Peat/Dedication

Congratulations to Sophie Choate for winning the Utah Valley Spelling Bee yesterday! Her winning word was mordacious (biting or given to biting; ). She's always wanted to go the Scripps National Spelling Bee since an early age, and here she comes!

You may realize that the Latin root mordac means "biting". Good luck, Sophie, and represent Utah well!

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/spelling-bee-winner-takes-prize-with-mordacious/article_e680f670-5bda-5bc2-9467-aa9e321a6037.html

I Googled "spelling bee", and I found out that there will be a five-peat heading to nationals: Nicholas Rushlow. It seems as if he will continue studying even after the National Spelling Bee. It is a true passion to him and many other spellers at the Bee, but I hardly know many spellers who continue studying after their spelling bee years.

http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120318/NEWS01/203180301/Rushlow-heads-D-C-again-spelling-bee?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage

Quote from the Article: "It's pretty cool going five years in a row because not many people have done that," Rushlow said. "One of my friends, Matthew Evans, did that a couple years back. I quiz with him occasionally, so I'm trying to follow what he did." 

It's true that there haven't been five-peats since 2008: Tia Thomas and Matthew Evans. 

Tia told me that even if the spelling bee is over, she used all that time and dedication to other things. She has done very well in the Science and Engineering Fair, even if she never advanced to the international level, and she has been the National Bible Bee three times.

I'll admit that I still study spelling when I find time. I still love to highlight and look up words when I read, I have enjoyed studying languages and actually researching many cultures. In Biology, I enjoy memorizing and studying roots that are found in many science terms. In French, I always read my French dictionary and write down several interesting words and/or words that I had seen in the spelling bee (my French teacher seems to use the term devoirs - homework. Devoir was the actual word used). In English, we have Word of the Day, and we have a wall of words. In the front is the word, and in the back, it has the information. We play games and study roots to help us remember them.

Good luck to all the spellers!

More Local Spelling Bees - 72 More Days Until Nationals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will be more final local spelling bees soon, and many spellers have already qualified for nationals. I wish everyone the best of luck!

The Canspell National Spelling Bee will take place on March 28. The top three spellers from Canada will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Good luck to the 21 spellers!

http://www.canada.com/canspell/COUNTDOWN+CANSPELL+Announcing+Finalists+2012+Postmedia+Canspell+Final+Toronto/6309408/story.html

The Utah Valley Spelling Bee will be on March 17 at the Scera Theatre in Orem. (I got the date wrong on an earlier post, so please ignore that other post). Whoever wins that Bee will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Bee Week is 72 days away!

Youngest Speller EVER to Advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Never underestimate anyone younger than you. Sriram Hathwar used to hold the record of being the youngest speller at the Scripps National Spelling Bee when he was eight (second grade), but someone younger has made it to nationals this year: Lori Anne Madison (only six-years-old and in the second grade). She also competed last year (I assume it was when she was five). That was even before I began studying for the National Spelling Bee!

http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2012/mar/09/8/lori-anne-madison-6-wins-prince-william-spelling-b-ar-1754744/

And the Salt Lake Valley Champion is.../Utah and the Bee

This is a first time a speller from Utah has made it to the National Spelling Bee twice since 2006-2007. The champion is Vismaya Kharkar! My friend told me that she was the champion! She began competing in 2009, and she advanced to nationals in 2011. Unfortunately, she did not advance to semifinals last year, but I have a strong feeling that she will this year!

It's not only Vismaya this year, but Jared Ward of Southeastern Utah made it back to nationals this year, too! There are two 2-peats from Utah this year (this has never happened)! Good luck, and I will be rooting for both of you!

I think the 2011-2012 Bees have had strong spellers from Utah! Last year, Anna-Marie Sprenger of Provo, Utah (Daily Herald), advanced to the semifinals, being the first speller from Utah to advance to that level ever since the beginning of the notorious written test in 2002. Unfortunately, she will not be able to return this year, because she is too old to compete. From 2009 and 2010, I remember that there were spellers who represented the same sponsor as Anna-Marie, who would still have a few more years to compete. I do not remember their names, but this year one is a seventh grader and the other is an eighth grader. If one of those two return to nationals, there will be three 2-peats.

The Bee will be very exciting this year!

2012 Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee/Tips/Sorry I Haven't Been Writing Lately/Updates

Spellers from the Salt Lake Valley, be prepared on March 10 (Saturday), because it is time to determine the speller who will be competing at the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee! There will be 75 schools competing (that's about five less than last year).

Date: March 10, 2012

Location: Juan Diego Catholic High School - 300 East 11800 South, Draper, Utah 84020

Time: 8:30 A.M. (make sure you are there earlier if you are a participant)

I do not know if I will be there, but I wish you all the best of luck to you and other spellers from around the world!

Past Champions:

2009 - Henry Korous

2010 - Miranda Hulsey

2011 - Vismaya Kharkar

Tips

After the pronouncer says the word to you:

• Say the word back to him/her.
• Ask questions: definition, origin, part of speech, sentence, and alternate pronunciations.
• Make sure you think hard.
• If you are in the middle of a word and need to start over, say, "May I please start over", and make sure you retrace the letters you first said, because once you say a letter, it cannot be taken back.
• Say the word, spell it, then say the word again (saying the word before and after spelling is not required, but it is best so the judges know when you start and finish)
• Take all the time you need (for several bees), but at the national competition the time limit is 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

As you spell the word do not be nervous or think about anything else. Completely block out the audience and focus on the word.

Good luck and have fun!

By the way, I have not been writing as much lately, because I have been busy with studies, choir, school, activities, helping spellers study, and a lot more. 

• This was my first year doing the science fair, and I advanced to the district level (some of my friends took many years to even reach this level). Unfortunately, I was a few points away from advancing to the regional science fair, which is the final level before the international level. I have already started my project for next year. 
• I advanced to the state level (also the final level) of Art Inspirations in two categories: Literature and Music Composition.
• I sang at several 10th Anniversary 2002 Winter Olympics Events.
• I had to do registration for classes next year (don't expect me to post a lot next year with a lot college credit (AP) and honors classes).

Spelling Bee Musical

I do not know how accurate the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is compared to many local competitions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but I heard it is a great musical. About a year ago, I learned that one of my favorite songs (Spelling Bee Rules) is in that musical. Spelling Bee Rules has been used at several of the national spelling bees.


Lyrics
Now for the official spelling bee rules (ding!)
A speller (repeat)
May ask questions (repeat)
About the words pronunciation and definition (definition)
Its use in a sentence (in a sentence)
And its language of origin (language of origin)
Once you start to spell a word you may start over,
but the sequence of the letters already spoken may not be changed.


There is also a lot of audience participation, and a lot of times characters drop the "fourth wall" (an imaginary wall keeping performers from directly addressing or recognizing their audience). The audience members are treated as audience members in a fictitious spelling bee. There are many examples, such as one of the characters refering to an age-appropriate woman near the stage as his mother.

This summer I may have a chance to see it in Southern Utah. I assume it's also to celebrate the 85th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.