May 30, 2008

"ROUND FIVE: It begins with #5 So-Young Chung shyly approaching the microphone as if it were a guillontine..."

"... with BBC Bailly saying "howdy, So-Young!" to her like they are at a Texas BBQ instead of the greatest spelling competition EVER, with So-Young thinking and pronouncing and pronouncing and thinking and asking for the definition over and over again. It's painful. It's polite. It's so very elegant. And it ends with So-Young spelling "chrysoprase" (an apple green variety of something valued as a gem) all wrong. So-Young's whispered thanks upon hearing the dreaded ding...heartbreaking."

The best Spelling Bee coverage ever continues at Throwing Things.

3 comments:

bearbee said...


The 12-year-old from Terramar Elementary School, who aspires to be a lawyer and Chief Justice of the United States, took her disappointment with the poise she showed throughout the competition.

"I don't cry in public," she said calmly


Chief Justices have spell-check so, you go So-Young Chung!

bearbee said...

"I don't cry in public," she said calmly

Presidential candidates, please note,

Methadras said...

This is one of the examples of events that make America the greatest country on earth. Even our children are competitive. Insomuch that their strict merit is judged, not the color of their skin, affiliations, or any other criteria. Either you are a good speller or your out. These kids are made of stronger stuff. They already know the price of persistence, the value of hard work, and the notion that anyone, with a modicum of intellectual application can do just about anything in this country.

So-Young has bigger brass balls then most adults I know. I love this kid.