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Full Results
Fri, May 30, 2008 - 9:25 PM
The full bios and pictures of the top 12 are all right here.See you next time.
--Neil Simon
MISHRA WINS ON GUERDON
10:08 p.m.
The 2008 champion is Sameer Mishra.
By correctly spelling guerdon, Mishra won over $40,000 and a lifetime of fame.
I spoke with his sister Shruti this afternoon. She was also a three-time repeater at the bee, and she said she thought he was ready for tonight.
Shruti was right.
-Josh Dawsey
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The 2008 champion is Sameer Mishra.
By correctly spelling guerdon, Mishra won over $40,000 and a lifetime of fame.
I spoke with his sister Shruti this afternoon. She was also a three-time repeater at the bee, and she said she thought he was ready for tonight.
Shruti was right.
-Josh Dawsey
Mishra for the win
10:07 p.m.
Sameer Mishra... wow. He kept his confidence and even laughed while correctly spelling esclandre.
This Chan kid is awfully good as well. But he just missed prosopopoeia, giving Mishra a chance to win. He made a mental mistake. I think he knew the word, but he just accidentally spoke too soon.
-Josh Dawsey
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Sameer Mishra... wow. He kept his confidence and even laughed while correctly spelling esclandre.
This Chan kid is awfully good as well. But he just missed prosopopoeia, giving Mishra a chance to win. He made a mental mistake. I think he knew the word, but he just accidentally spoke too soon.
-Josh Dawsey
Unflappable spellers
10:04 p.m.
While many spellers lose their confidence near the end of the bee, Sameer Mishra seems to be gaining his. So does Sidharth Chan.
Mishra nailed taleggio. Chan nailed introuvable. Both spelled in under 45 seconds. We're at an impasse.
-Josh Dawsey
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While many spellers lose their confidence near the end of the bee, Sameer Mishra seems to be gaining his. So does Sidharth Chan.
Mishra nailed taleggio. Chan nailed introuvable. Both spelled in under 45 seconds. We're at an impasse.
-Josh Dawsey
Down to two…
10:03 p.m.
Sameer Mishra drilled hyphaeresis confidently, requiring Sidharth Chan to spell Kulturkampf, a tough German word. Once again, he made it happen.
Tia Thomas is now eliminated from the bee. Her five-year run ends with a third place finish.
These two could make it interesting.
-Josh Dawsey
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Sameer Mishra drilled hyphaeresis confidently, requiring Sidharth Chan to spell Kulturkampf, a tough German word. Once again, he made it happen.
Tia Thomas is now eliminated from the bee. Her five-year run ends with a third place finish.
These two could make it interesting.
-Josh Dawsey
Thomas misses opificer
9:58 p.m.
While Tia Thomas has drilled words as tall as her all evening, a short word was her eventual downfall.
Opificer brought the dreaded ding of the bell for Thomas. Yet she isn't necessarily out- the other two must spell their words correctly to eliminate her.
-Josh Dawsey
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While Tia Thomas has drilled words as tall as her all evening, a short word was her eventual downfall.
Opificer brought the dreaded ding of the bell for Thomas. Yet she isn't necessarily out- the other two must spell their words correctly to eliminate her.
-Josh Dawsey
Chan nails aptyalism
Sidharth Chan, the finalist with the least experience of the top three, hung with the big boys on aptyalism.
Another perfect round. Could there be co-champs?
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Another perfect round. Could there be co-champs?
Sameer Celebrates
10:30 p.m.
Sameer Mishra looks to the judges upon spelling his championship word "guerdon."
Sidharth Chand misspelled "prosopopoeia," leaving out the I, to pave the way for Sameer to spell the championship word.
Returning favorite Tia Thomas finished third, going out on "opificer." She spelled it "epificer."
Sameer first turned to his family...
...and then the trophy.
--Neil Simon
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Sameer Mishra looks to the judges upon spelling his championship word "guerdon."
Sidharth Chand misspelled "prosopopoeia," leaving out the I, to pave the way for Sameer to spell the championship word.
Returning favorite Tia Thomas finished third, going out on "opificer." She spelled it "epificer."
Sameer first turned to his family...
...and then the trophy.
--Neil Simon
Mishra slowly gets it again
9:51 a.m.
Sameer Mishra, one of the slowest spellers in the bee, once again took a long time with sinicize.
Once again, he got it right.
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Sameer Mishra, one of the slowest spellers in the bee, once again took a long time with sinicize.
Once again, he got it right.
Thomas nails oxylophytic
9:49 p.m.
Tia Thomas seems as unflappable as ever.
Confidently nailing oxylophytic, you have to wonder if she can be beaten. Experience does matter.
-Josh Dawsey
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Tia Thomas seems as unflappable as ever.
Confidently nailing oxylophytic, you have to wonder if she can be beaten. Experience does matter.
-Josh Dawsey
A guide to the finals
9:46 p.m.
During the break, read this post so you'll understand the next sequence of events.
http://www.mgwashington.com/mgwsys/index.php?S=764d2fde57a6b711ea058f9fa3b94b3e&C=edit&M=edit_entry&weblog_id=14&entry_id=1165
Tia Thomas, Sameer Mishra, or Sidharth Chan would all make great champions. Such great spellers.
-Josh Dawsey
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During the break, read this post so you'll understand the next sequence of events.
http://www.mgwashington.com/mgwsys/index.php?S=764d2fde57a6b711ea058f9fa3b94b3e&C=edit&M=edit_entry&weblog_id=14&entry_id=1165
Tia Thomas, Sameer Mishra, or Sidharth Chan would all make great champions. Such great spellers.
-Josh Dawsey
Another favorite gone
9:42 p.m.
I've been around the spelling bee for five years, and I've never heard of ecrase.
Kavya Shivashankar just missed ecrase by adding another e on the end. She is such a good speller, and I feel confident she's going to do great again next year.
Wow, posaune may be the toughest word so far. Wow.
-Josh Dawsey
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I've been around the spelling bee for five years, and I've never heard of ecrase.
Kavya Shivashankar just missed ecrase by adding another e on the end. She is such a good speller, and I feel confident she's going to do great again next year.
Wow, posaune may be the toughest word so far. Wow.
-Josh Dawsey
Mishra pulls through again
9:36 p.m.
In every round, Sameer Mishra seems confused.
In round nine, he struggled mightily with chorion for almost two minutes. In round ten, he once again struggled with nacarat for almost two minutes. Before nine, he had previously struggled with words for over two minutes.
Every time he does this, I look up from my computer nervously. I'm going to stop. Until they ding the bell, I'm not worried anymore about Sameer.
-Josh Dawsey
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In every round, Sameer Mishra seems confused.
In round nine, he struggled mightily with chorion for almost two minutes. In round ten, he once again struggled with nacarat for almost two minutes. Before nine, he had previously struggled with words for over two minutes.
Every time he does this, I look up from my computer nervously. I'm going to stop. Until they ding the bell, I'm not worried anymore about Sameer.
-Josh Dawsey
Round 11 Opens with an elimination
Who is the woman behind the table?
9:30 p.m.
Behind the table, a woman sits in black with headphones and a laptop.
While she may appear unassuming, she is the most important official in the room.
Paige Kimble, the director of the bee and a former champion herself, has been at the helm of the bee for almost a decade. Many consider her leadership and solid marketing the root of the Bee's massive popularity.
Here she is:
http://public.spellingbee.com/public/gallery/view/May+29th%2C+2008+-+Round+Two+and+Semifinals/DSC_6676.JPG/10
-Josh Dawsey
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Behind the table, a woman sits in black with headphones and a laptop.
While she may appear unassuming, she is the most important official in the room.
Paige Kimble, the director of the bee and a former champion herself, has been at the helm of the bee for almost a decade. Many consider her leadership and solid marketing the root of the Bee's massive popularity.
Here she is:
http://public.spellingbee.com/public/gallery/view/May+29th%2C+2008+-+Round+Two+and+Semifinals/DSC_6676.JPG/10
-Josh Dawsey
Most recent entries
- Full Results
- MISHRA WINS ON GUERDON
- Mishra for the win
- Unflappable spellers
- Down to two…
- Thomas misses opificer
- Chan nails aptyalism
- Sameer Celebrates
- Mishra slowly gets it again
- Thomas nails oxylophytic
- A guide to the finals
- Another favorite gone
- Mishra pulls through again
- Round 11 Opens with an elimination
- Who is the woman behind the table?
How well can you spell?
Bee Bloggers
Josh Dawsey
Amy Dominello
As an eight-year-old she was traumatized for life when she misspelled the word "mommy" in a spelling bee. In college, it took her three tries to pass a grammar test to get into journalism school.
Somehow, she still managed to snag a job where spelling and grammar count. And as she covers the National Spelling Bee, Amy will obviously have a great deal of empathy for those who struggle in the early rounds.
Neil Simon
He can't remember if he ever competed in a spelling bee, but he likes finding misspelled street signs.
Neil moved to Washington from Albuquerque because it's much easier to spell Washington.
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