14 on beeline to state finals
| • | These kids know their minds — and abc's |
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
A state spelling bee is probably the only event in the world where you can spell "pressure" several hundred different ways but have only one correct answer.
Advertiser library photo
The 14 finalists in Saturday's 17th annual Honolulu Advertiser State Spelling Bee are well-acquainted with the concept. They've spent months studying words, some of them so obscure that most learned adults have never heard of them, let alone know how to pronounce, spell or use them in a sentence.
Advertiser columnist Lee Cataluna will be the pronouncer.
To study the 3,700-word list is a triumph of discipline. The whole endeavor hinges on perfection.
A single missed alphabet can derail a contestant. There are no second chances, and everyone in the state can watch you win or lose on TV.
The prize is big: An all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in May.
Heady stuff for the seventh- and eighth-graders who participate.
"I think it develops patience and determination," said Jane Himeda, principal of Highlands Intermediate, which has produced four state champs and 13 district winners since 1986.
The contestants frequently spend hours each week studying at home, grilled by parents, siblings and friends, she said.
"Usually the ones who have gone to the state finals and the nationals, they are kids who are involved in student activities," Himeda said. "They are not only good academically. They are pretty good, well-rounded kids."
Last year's state winner, Matthew Won, felt the pressure when he competed at the national level but coolly spelled his way to a tie for seventh place, farther than any Hawai'i speller has gone.
Advertiser library photo
In an essay on the experience, the 14-year-old Iolani School student wrote that he feared he would let down the entire state if he failed early in the competition.
Sports caster Jim Leahey will be the emcee.
"Every moment I spend not studying feels like blood being drained from me," he wrote. "There is also a sense of hopelessness, that all my studying won't make any difference."
But Matthew had prepared well. His father, Reed Won, schooled him with a simple formula for success.
"If you are going to compete, then you should prepare well or else don't waste the coach's time or your time," Won said. "It is meant to be the company of the committed. The most committed people are going to do well."
The bee was a good experience for Matthew, "a bona fide word freak" who loves to spell, the boy's father said.
"He has a much larger perspective now," Won said. "He knows his place in history. As a proud parent, I want him very much to understand that."
Matthew's coach was Jane Romjue, an English teacher at Iolani who has been involved with the state spelling bee — coaching, judging, organizing — for more than 30 years.
Romjue said the bee is gaining popularity and she credits Matthew with helping to foster that. Although the Hawai'i bee is only open to seventh- and eighth-graders, about 100 Iolani School fifth- and sixth-graders held their own bee, inspired by and spurred on by Matthew, Romjue said.
"With all the publicity Matt got last year, many, many people know more about it," she said. "He is something of a celebrity now."
Matthew demonstrated more interest in spelling than any other student Romjue had seen over the years. And his work ethic is a powerful example to younger students.
"He was highly, highly motivated," she said. "I worked with him a few hours a week, but he was doing probably twice as much on his own. I haven't had kids who put in that much work."
The bee will be broadcast at 7 p.m. Saturday on KFVE TV (K-5) and rebroadcast at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
The hosts are Advertiser columnist Lee Cataluna, who will serve as pronouncer, and sportscaster Jim Leahey, the master of ceremonies.
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.
