http://www.sentex.net/~mmcadams/spelling.html Crap! I missed 19 words I only missed 2 out of 720 in 8th grade . ------------------
Now learn how its done . Minn. Teen Wins Nat'l Spelling Bee By GREG TOPPO, AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Equipped with nerves of steel and an inner dictionary that just wouldn't quit, a 13-year-old Minnesota boy won the 2001 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, surviving 16 rounds and outlasting 247 other young competitors. Sean Conley of Shakopee, Minn., who finished second in last year's contest, won by spelling ``succedaneum,'' which means, appropriately, ``one that succeeds to the place of another.'' Sean went word-for-word for five breathless rounds with Kristin Hawkins, a soft-spoken Virginia eighth-grader who, like Sean, was participating in the national bee for the third time. Kristin coolly competed with Sean, rattling off such words as ``hamartia'' as if she were spelling her own last name. The word means ``a defect of character.'' But then she stumbled over ``resipiscence,'' meaning a change of mind or heart. Sean, who attends a private school in Anoka, Minn., will take home $10,000, while Kristin will get $5,000. The three-day competition began Tuesday, and by the end of the fourth round, the original group of 248 spellers had shrunk to 34. Sean won in the 16th round. It probably didn't help that the final day of competition was broadcast on live TV. In fact, as soon as the broadcast began, the first seven students misspelled their words. The group included diminutive Sara Brand, 11, a sixth-grader from Knoxville, Tenn., who mulled over ``Australopithecus'' for so long the judges asked that she please get to the spelling. She began it with an ``O'' and never recovered. A few minutes later, Abhijith Eswarappa, 13, of Memphis, Tenn., broke the losing streak by carefully spelling ``fimbrillate,'' a word meaning ``bordered with a minute fringe.'' Eve Vokes, a fifth-grader from San Antonio, Texas, her blonde hair pulled back into tight, matching braids, stared at the judges, her hands pinned behind her, as she puzzled over ``nisei,'' an American-born Japanese person. She spelled it ``nesae.'' Many of Thursday morning's words were smaller but no less difficult than the tongue-twisting, polysyllabic standards. Stephen Hou, 12, of Fort Mill, S.C., missed ``arnica,'' an herb used to soothe bruises and sprains. Apollo Stacy, 12, of Jonesboro, Ark., replaced the ``k'' in ``kudize'' with a ``ch.'' It means ``to praise'' or give someone kudos. Melanie Kidder, 14, an eighth-grader from Bellaire, Ohio, endured nearly five minutes on stage as judges wearing headphones listened to a taped playback of her spelling ``hyoid,'' referring to bones at the base of the tongue. Finally the head judge looked up and said, ``That's correct, Melanie,'' to cheers and applause from the crowd. Like last year, Italian food knocked Lauren Fowler, of Fort Pierce, Fla., out of competition. This year it was ``saltimbocca,'' a sauteed veal dish that literally means ``jumps in the mouth.'' In 2000, she missed ``biscotti.'' Lauren, a sixth-grader whose wavy blonde hair reaches to her waist, said she didn't study very hard for the competition, preferring to spend her free time playing piano and cello, singing in a church choir and studying painting. ``I just kind of try my best because I have other things that I do,'' she said. Eleven-year-old Rebecca Clendaniel of Milford, Del., missed ``obmutescence,'' meaning keeping silent or mute. Asked what her spelling strategy is, she replied flatly, ``I guess.'' Her mother, Janet, jumped in. ``She reads a lot, so she encounters a large amount of unusual words.'' --------------------------------------- sheesh look at this fool ripping little kids , I bet this article would have looked perfect if he didnt hit spellcheck. ------------------ [This message has been edited by moestavern19 (edited May 31, 2001).]
Don't feel discouraged, I missed 20! Man, and I thought I was pretty good in spelling. I never thought of those words being misspelled. Most of them were "e instead of a" mistakes, or vice versa. For the rest of you who might take it, good luck! ------------------ "Minute after minute, hour after hour, the proud and strong knight struggled in vain against the wasp inside his armour."
I'm embarrassed to say I missed 13 words. I think it is somehow harder to look at the two possibilities side by side instead of just writing it out. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
19 missed! .... and I thought I was coledge ejucated? Hmmm,..fancy that! ------------------ I eat nutria now..courtesy of mc mark!!!
I'm even more embarrassed to say that I missed 17. ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
I only missed 6. Damn you liaison! ------------------ This space currently being renovated. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Missed 13. I didnt look at them carefully. ------------------ "Break off the block like Maurice Green" --- Steve Francis President of the Moochie Norris fan club.
I missed 11. ------------------ www.swirve.com "Pre-born, you're fine, pre-school, you're f*****."-George Carlin
Damn, I missed 15... how in the hell did I get despair wrong? ------------------ What is daylight savings time? And if we are saving so much of it, who's got it all? - Mike Warnke
Anybody catch the finals of the Scribbs Howard spelling bee on ESPN last night? Those kids are machines!!!! I can't spell to save my life! Praise Allah for spell check! ------------------ Everything you do, effects everything that is.
How the hell did I miss 24? I guess being Norwegian, learning English and not American can do that to you. Some of the words never crossed my eyes before either. ------------------ The CC.net NBA Sim Board/Homepage
Hmmmmmm, I missed 4 words. One of them I didn't even know the meaning, so I guessed. Anyway, this coming from the back to back district spelling bee champ in 7th and 8th grades. Liquefy? UGH........ ------------------ My doctor says I am bipolar. I am going to get a second opinion. I have never had intimate desires for polar bears.
Missed 4, and accidentally skipped one. So I guess 5. Here's a question: does anyone else think they might have done better if they'd had to WRITE the words? Seems like spelling is something you do intuitively, and when you have to actually think about it, you get confused. ------------------ A few years back on the Senate floor... Phil Gramm: "If Democrats could, they'd tax the air we breathe." Ted Kennedy (jumping up): "By God, why didn't I think of that sooner!" Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
I actually wrote a couple down on scratch paper. I had to see how I write them normally. ------------------ My doctor says I am bipolar. I am going to get a second opinion. I have never had intimate desires for polar bears.
I missed 19, not bad for a notoriously bad speller such as myself. ------------------ I always thought "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered". Now I think "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm found out".
I think I could have only missed about 11, if I were to write them and not have to choose between the two. ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
