Fifth year participant considered favorite to win Bee

Wed, May 28, 2008 - 9:14 PM

Matthew Evans is a roller coaster fanatic.

In his free time from studiously preparing for the spelling bee, he drags his parents to amusement parks throughout the country to ride the tallest, nastiest, and biggest roller coasters he can find.

Evans, a five-time repeater at the national level, is considered as a favorite to take the trophy home this year. 2008 will be his last year of eligibility, and he says he'll relish the days of playing outside instead of being buried in bee materials.

I had the opportunity to work a little with Evans over the years. Here's what I can tell you from my experiences: The kid is one of the most down-to-earth, genuine people I've ever known. He's always been very grateful for the little help I've provided him, and he's always completed any task asked of him to improve. While I haven't had the opportunity to work with him in preparation for this year's bee, I know his mother very well and I can assure you he is very prepared.

His mother, Helen, reiterated that while he was interested in studying, he was going to take part in the normal activities of Bee Week instead of holing himself up in a room with words. On Tuesday, Evans went to the Great American Barbecue, an event hosted by the national bee that allows spellers to enjoy recreation and fellowship with other spellers.

Evans is already once a champion. He won the Reader's Digest Word Power Challenge on the national level, garnering him a $25,000 scholarship and media exposure.

Below is a link to an interesting article concerning Evans and fellow fifth-year participant Tia Thomas written by Joseph White.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_re_us/spelling_bee