National Spelling Bee

coureur
Fri, 30 May 2014 11:53:56 +0000

Congratulations to Sriram and Ansun. I’ve been interested in how the national bee has become big show biz in recent years. While they have spread to a few other countries, spelling bees are a uniquely American invention, and some people from other cultures are baffled by the concept of a spelling bee. But it sure has been embraced big time by immigrant American families, especially those from India.

This year’s tie meant we didn’t get what always seemed to me to be the most dramatic moment - when the incipient champion, having eliminated all challengers, must correctly spell one more word to seal the victory. If s/he misses the final word the last challenger is reinstated and the match resumes.