Morning Mail: Youngest speller eliminated by unfair, obviously made-up word
May 31, 2012, 9:00 AM EDT
AP No, it wasn’t “Swapportunity.” But Lori Anne Madison drew an even tougher word in the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Wednesday in Washington D.C. Come on, Scripps … “ingluvies”? She’s only six!
Or, as Kyle would say: “They killed Kenny! You bastards!”
Lori Anne, as we reported earlier this week, is a precocious young girl who started reading at the age of 2 and was in her first spelling bee at the age of 3. Wednesday at the National Bee, she successfully spelled the first word she was given — dirigible. But in the next round, she began ingluvies with an “e” instead of an “i.” That was enough to knock her out of the competition.
It’s clear that the Lake Ridge, Va., girl, whom we told you about on Wednesday, will be a force to be reckoned with at Scripps for years to come. But herein we see the flaw in the spelling bee format. As it is now, it’s all the luck of the draw — one person gets “ingluvies”, the next gets “apple.” To be fair, the contestants should each have to spell the same word in every round — out of earshot of each other, of course.
You’re welcome. I’m just here to help.
UPDATE:
@darrenrovell
Stunner: 5-time Spelling Bee repeater Rahul Malayappan is knocked out of the Spelling Bee.
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ABOUT LAST NIGHT
Headline of the day: Scarf-wearing pig spotted by Pittsburgh motorists …
- Texas Rangers fan needs an abacus for 21-8 game.
- New Italian premier thinks country should suspend all soccer matches for two years due to match fixing scandal.
- The first Vegas Super Bowl odds are in. Colts are only 100-1!
Meanwhile, in Tampa Bay …
Not the kind of pants party we were hoping for.
