The Story of the 2013 National Spelling Bee

Another year of the National Spelling Bee approaches, I, like many other ardent fans of the Bee (which I learned today is not meant to be the “bee” like a bug but a “gathering” of people, in this case to spell words), are scanning the list of semifinalists that remain in the competition after today’s preliminary rounds. While trying to understand how the requisite Jamaican speller didn’t make it this year (They make it EVERY YEAR! It’s the addition of the vocab testing, I tell ya! It’s gotta be the vocab testing!) most of the expected names are on there, I harken back to what made “Spellbound” the documentary, “The American Bee,” and each annual nationally televised spelling bee great every year: the stories. It’s impossible not to forget Nupur Lala’s story of how she beat out 3 7^th graders at her local competition in 1999 just to qualify, nor how Kerry Close won in 2006 while pictures of her sailing and running with her dog in surburban New Jersey played in the background, nor the drawls of Marshall Winchester practicing spelling with his family in South Carolina. These are the stories that we’re interested in at the Spelling Bee, kids that we can relate to. Personally, I know each time the “National spelling bee list of spellers” is posted each April or so, I immediately scan 1.) which favorites from last year are back, then 2.) who is representing Camarillo, CA or Dupage County, Illinois, where I’m from. I also actually read the biographies because they bring a real-life story to what otherwise would just be a numbered contestant in a whole list of names.

This year, among the semifinalists, we have

1.)    Katharine Wang, from Shanghai, China (man, is China trying to send representatives to every event in the world?) who candidly admits she “fails at sports.” Lol, welcome to my world, and thank you for being humble.

2.)    Himanvi Kopuri from Denver, Colorado (was just there, great mountain views) participates in “Math Kangaroo programs” and “Brain Bowl.” Man whatever those are they sound intense.

3.)    Anuk Dayaprema is from the European PTA, seems like a military school. His hometown doesn’t even have a second part, just “Vincenza.” Actually definitely seems like a threat despite never having seen him before, seems his discipline and maturity should play a factor regardless of experience.

4.)    Grace Remmer. Favorite. Definitely will get a video cuz she apparently lives Disney World. ESPN covered that story and will be rooting for Grace to get to prime time this year, I’m sure.

5.)    Alia Abiad: everyone should have a 96-year-old great grandmother, just for the wisdom.

6.)    Piper Winkler: excellent name choice, mom and dad. Also goes to Elgin Academy, close to where I grew up. Sentimental favorite for me.

7.)    Vanya Shivashankar: we’ve known her story since 2008 (only started competing in 2010 after sister Kavya won in 2009) but this may be the first year she’s a serious contender; she’s got a luxury most top spellers wish they had: a 3-year window to win.

8.)    Emily Keaton: everything about her says Kentucky. Always nice to have a southern presence in the bee.

9.)    Gokul Venkatachalam’s favorite book is “Crocodile Tears, the eighth novel in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Lol, fairly specific book choice there, no? For the record, I also liked the 10^th novel in the Redwall series “Marlfox.”

10.) Ashwin Veeramani: More and more, we see spellers’ siblings from previous years participate, and a bunch of these spellers beat out their siblings in regional bees to get to the National Spelling Bee. This year we have both the 2009 and 2010 winners’ siblings in the field. Meanwhile, my own sister forsake my advice to do the spelling bee and played Pokemon instead.

11.) Shayley Martin: says she helps her family raise chickens and maintain a greenhouse where they grow fruit and vegetables. That is awesome! And talk about diversity, this year we have a farming kid from Riner, Virginia in the field (no pun intended!)

12.) Sophia Limacher: perfect prototype for a darkhorse candidate to make the finals, making the trek way out from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle) in the first year at the Bee, but a perfect score at the 2010 National Latin Exam shows dedication.

Finally, we have the story of Sriram Hathwar and Arvind Mahankali, the two (apparently ) good friends who have literally grown up together at the bee for the last 5 years. (Sriram was in the semifinals of the Bee in 2008! SIX BEES AGO!) They’ll be sitting next to each other at the bee tomorrow and basically going head to head round after round, until (I predict) they meet in the finals. It’s been a great story for both, as year after year they contend for the title and get even better at spelling, until this year, it all comes to a head, the Sriram Train v. the Arvind Express, mano a mano. Unlike other 5-year favorites who just got unlucky at the wrong time, I believe one of these guys is walking up to the mike and getting the last word, sealing his story in spelling bee lore.  It’ll be a great one.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Magic

I like magic. No, not the Disney “magic” kingdom sort of magic or the stuff of Peter Pan or Magic the Gathering, or Merlin shoot fire out of a wand stuff. I’m talking about card tricks, disappearing acts, Harry Houdini, cutting assistant in half, pull a rabbit out of a hat stuff. It really gets me.

I do magic. I have one pretty good trick I literally picked up while watching TV one day and perfected it. It works; it’s a great icebreaker; I’ve used it to start talking to girls (with mixed results), to entertain kids at the summer camps I worked at, even with co-workers and bosses. It makes me feel good about myself and makes other people impressed. (2 things that does not happen very often with something like say….fantasy baseball). For anyone who doesn’t have a go-to trick, I highly recommend it. It took me all of 5 minutes.

I appreciate magic. I think magic plays a role in our lives that most don’t really appreciate. It gives us something to wonder about, something beyond our normal everyday lives that transcends belief, or challenges us to accept something beyond what it appears on the surface. Yesterday I got a parking ticket not for parking in an illegal zone or not paying the meter but because my tires were supposedly 6 inches further away from the curb than the necessary 18 inches. No joke. I need magic just to remind myself that there are more than just the urbane, ordinary pursuits of life that we seek every day. As real as a parking ticket is or pushing a pencil through or taking another standardized test or sitting through traffic again for another few hours or (name any other irrelevant pursuit here) magic is just as real and feels just as real, yet it is so different than what humans can normally predict.

I will see magic. Next weekend when the movie “Now You See Me” comes out. Watched the trailer and even in the trailer they do a neat trick in which they predict the card you pick out of a trick. Wicked smart. I’ve been excited about other movies based on magic before like “The Prestige;” hopefully this one is as clever, well thought-out, and magic-inspiring as that. After Sriram Hathwar wins the National Spelling Bee 2013 on Thursday night, that is (wild guess).

I need to develop some more magic. I have the one main trick (if anyone reading this ever meets me in person, feel free to ask me to do it; I usually have cards near my person at all times) and then a few side tricks, and a partner trick, but nothing terribly impressive. I need another act, a fresh one that hasn’t been exposed by some of my friends who have seen me do it too many times, not because I gave in to their pleading and divulged the secret to them.

I’d like a little magic in my life. This time I am talking about the Disney sort of enchanted fairy-tale, miracle-on-ice butterflies fluttering kind of thing. I enjoy my life; I have been very lucky; but I’ve never been inspired by anything terribly drastic like love, great accomplishment, or other great emotion. I’d like to have one magical summer of that. So here, on Memorial Day weekend, here’s hoping for a magical summer to myself and everyone else.  (also, how about some magical writing inspiration for me to write these blog posts more often, geez louise!)

Actually, scratch that, spelling bee coverage on this site starting tomorrow. The defending champion in Throwing Things blog http://throwingthings.blogspot.com/ (this guy) has to represent! 

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

May Day Q&A

Pretending to be someone of importance, I have asked myself several questions (I may or may not have written the answers first) that are pressing on my (and I’m sure all my readers’) mind(s).

Q: What’s with the lack of blogs entries this year?

8 posts for the fantasy blog this year (this being the 9^th?) unbelievable. What can I say, I have to go with the “I’ve been busy” excuse.  I’ve had hours in past years where I think, I don’t have anything going on, let’s update my life. Those hours have been far and few between this year with a new job, a new language, and new goals. Time for self-reflection is fleeting; even my lonely car rides (in which I had time to think about long-term stuff, day dream and just catch up with myself) are spent listening and trying to improve myself.

Q: Is it going to continue?

A: No. I am not letting 2013 be a lost year in the “Chronicles of Robert Yan.” 20 years from now I think this may be a pivotal year, and I’m not letting it go unrecorded.

Q: What are some suggested improvements for Game of Thrones?

Game of Thrones could learn something from a major league lineup: bat the speediest guys on top, your “best hitter” 2^nd, hitter with the best contact and power at 3^rd, best power guy at 4^th….etc. Some of the components of the show (Theon storyline, Bran Stark storyline) just add nothing and must be replaced. At least lead with a great storyline and always, ALWAYS end with Daenerys doing something and leave viewers wanting more.

Q: What are some suggested improvements for the National Spelling Bee?

A: Coming up May 26-May 28, like clockwork, the bee comes after Memorial Day every year. The early favorite? Arvind Mahankali fulfills his half-decade long quest to become spelling bee champ. See my suggested improvements from last year’s May blog.

Q: How have you adjusted to recently getting an Iphone?

Currently on an Iphone binge……..just changed from Blackberry to Iphone 3 weeks (I know, where have I been?) and I haven’t been able to put down my Iphone since.  

Q: What is “Three Kingdoms?”

Three Kingdoms is the Chinese Game of Thrones……with many more battle scenes. See it on Youtube. It’s got English subtitles. I dare you not to pull a 10-hour marathon watching that show, especially if you’re Chinese. It gives great insight into ancient Chinese culture, battle strategies (including some references to “Art of War” by Sun Tze, Chinese language, Chinese traditional garb, and morals and honor. Gives some perspective on life as to what has changed.

Q: How is it being 26?

After turning 26, I (probably a bad idea) read some articles about “what to do before you turn 30.” Other than the getting-depressing articles about dating and marriage and whatnot, there’s still a bunch of stuff on there I’d like to do. I have about a 2 or 3-year window at this age where I have a lot of free reign to shape my own life, my career, and strike a balance. I will say that a baseball stadiums trip and living in another country were the most appealing items in that article that I read.

I also began to have big dreams, like doing something significant. It’s difficult in these times with more than 9 billion people, but I think I have the skills to be a power player somewhere. I am smart enough, I am social enough, I adapt well to new situations. Time to get serious, Bobby, towards making an impact in the world and not just playing out the string. The next 10 years will be crucial in defining what I will be for the rest of my life; better get busy carving that out.

Q: How’s your career going?

A: Answering this in a roundabout way, I recently found out a friend who was working at a big law firm job had quit his (assuredly high-paying) position after just a year and a half as an associate. Makes me wonder about my own career and how much money plays a factor, aka how much I can be bought for. The law is certainly a lucrative career financially, but it’s not a lucrative career in terms of warming one’s heart, or fulfilling one’s wish to be significant (well it does for some people). Especially in these modern times when people bounce from one job to another and one career to another, even, regularly, it certainly merits consideration as to which path to go forward with. I say this as an independent contractor whose project can end at any time, don’t know if I would have the same perspective if I were now a “company man.”

Q: What do you think of the current fantasy baseball season?

A: the Angels stink, both my teams are doing poorly, it’s not great. But if I know the baseball season, it’s that it is very long, and one quarter of a season can look completely different than another quarter of the season. Heroes become zeroes, laggards become legends. (That means you, Miguel Montero!) There have been bitter disappointments (matt Kemp), great surprises (geez, Jean Segura), messy bullpen situations (Boston Red Sox, anyone?) but as with every baseball (and fantasy baseball season), expect the unexpected. Jurickson Profar, Baseball’s No. 1 Prospect, comes to Texas on Monday, a perfect exemplar of the potency of teams and players. He can become the next Mike Trout and be the No.1 fantasy player in all the land (especially at a scarce position) or be sent down to Triple A in a week. Wait for it…….That’s baseball!

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan