Welcome to Bobby News Network’s coverage of the 2014
National Spelling Bee! I’m your host, Bobby Burgundy, and I’ll be giving you a
full preview of the 2014 Semi-finalists. Yessir, we already have whittled down
the massive field of children in America (and other territories, countries, and
provinces) to 46 well-deserving semifinalists. We’ll be taking a look at
favorites, dark horses, and intriguing stories in a second. But first………..
The spelling bee is HARD. I just took the written round and
would not have qualified for even the semifinal round. Sure I haven’t studied a
long time for the spelling bee like these kids have, but I am also TWICE most
of these kids’ age, and have had much more life experience, and I still can’t
measure up to these kids. This is definitely a fierce competition and some of
the smartest kids in America on display, and we get the privilege of watching
it on live TV. I’ve done it for almost a decade now and I just don’t get tired
of it, especially the Semifinal/ Final rounds on Thursday. Can’t wait. Let’s
get to some of your calls.
Q: Who are the favorites this year?
A: That’s easy. There’s 2 that ESPN will surely be focusing
on and you should too. Sriram Hathwar,
the lone 5-year returner in the field, and Vanya Shivashankar. Sriram is
remarkable because he started this thing in 2008!!!!! And made the finals as
early as 2011. Yes, THREE YEARS AGO he was one of 6 spellers left at the National Spelling Bee
and really had a chance at winning. Then there were a couple years in there
that he messed up in the Regional round, not even making it to the bee, really
a blip on the radar of catastrophic proportions. Without those 2 eliminations
in regional rounds he would be the bee’s first ever SEVEN-YEAR repeater! He’s
gotta be focused this year as he’s 14, it’s his last chance, and he’s had SEVEN
CHANCES at this thing, but don’t you have to think in the back of your mind
what happened those 2 times he messed up? Whatever the case, it’s truly a
remarkable story, and I look forward to seeing the end of the Sriram Express
Tomorrow.
Also in my Top 5 are Gokul Ventkatachalam from St. Louis who’s
gone 10th and 19th the last 2 years. Don’t take that
lightly, that’s a big flashing sign that says, “I’m ready to be in the finals
and win this year!” I like Alia Abiad not just because she’s one of the few
Oriental Asian representatives and not only cuz she goes to school in Chicago
but she’s a 4-year returner and can do some major damage. Lucas Urbanski could
be inspired by his favorite Happy Potter series to pull some magic this year
after a 19th place finish last year.
Q: Paul from Minneapolis, I was wondering if you have a dark
horse in the field we should watch out for in this year’s spelling bee.
The classic darkhorse of course was 2012 (and to an extent,
2010 o) with the win of Snigdha Nandigphati. Even 2008 seemed like a bit of a shock with
the less-heralded yellow-shirt numnah win of Sameer Mishra. It’s an even year,
so it might seem like a good time for another dark horse, but this year has
what those other years lacked: 2 established frontrunners that have tons of
experience, and a 3rd who’s finished just outside the finals the
last 2 years. Those magical years in front of the ESPN lights cancel out the
maturity of a renegade 8th-grader, 14-year-old making his/her inaugural or 2nd appearance.
Q: What’s a theme of this year’s spelling bee I should look
out for?
Siblings, siblings, siblings. Seems like an exceptionally
high number of past contestants’ siblings in the field, including 2010 Champion
Anamika Veeramani’s brother Ashwin, Joseph Delamerced who had BOTH his sister
and brother compete in the national bee (don’t try to get out of the
Cincinaati, Ohio regional on those guys), Paul Keaton, sister of Kentucky
legend Emily Keaton, Mary Horton, sister of jovial and remarkable kid Jonathan
Horton, and of course none other than sister of 2009 Champion Kavvya
Shivashankar and perennial ESPN favorite Vanya. Seriously, this is the 7th
year I’ve been watching the bee, Vanya has been involved (first as adorable watcher,
then as fierce competitor) EVERY year. And yes, having a sibling be in the
national spelling bee would appear to help. At the least, you have access to
years of experience and all their notes/words.
Q: Cool spellers?
A: Yaah man, after a one year hiatus, sir, the Jamaican
speller is back in the semifinals. Thank you, sir. The representative this year
is Tajaun Gibbison, no not Taj Gibson from the Chicago Bulls, Tajaun Gibbison,
a 13-year-old 8th grader from Knox College. Hannah Jackson from
Saginaw, Michigan is a “natural athlete” and has climbed the Sierras in
Yosemite National Park twice, that’s some lofty accomplishments (get it?).
Lydia Loverin from Albany, new York is on her way to become a writer; no pen
name needed that name will sell some novels. And Max Danner from Athens, Ohio still likes
playing Minecraft. Welcome to the 21st century, Max.
Q: Who wins this year?
The name is the same, the story still there, the proud
father, the beaming mother, the sister who had a climactic rise to the top of
the spelling bee ladder in 2009, the pedigree, the support of ESPN. A great
story is there, the dedication, the repeater status, the national finals
experience , basically casting The Shivashankars as the Spelling Bee’s
equivalent to the Williams sisters. . Seriously, TWO YEARS ago Vanya had the
highest score on the written round and was touted as the FAVORITE of that
spelling bee! She was 10 years old! She’s had 2 more years to study words and
review the dictionary. Who knows what she’s been doing during that time? She
could have been going over the entire Webster’s unabridged Dictionary TWICE
during that time! It is insane, and if she doesn’t win this year, she still has
ANOTHER year to do it, although ESPN would be disappointed with not having
their marketing headliner. Five years
after her sister accomplished her dreams, Vanya takes home her own title.
Fantasize on, Robert Yan
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