# Ask the National Spelling Bee Champion **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500 "2013-08-29T14:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/1 "2013-08-29T14:41:13Z")
1. What seems a lifetime ago. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/2 "2013-08-29T14:50:39Z")
Wow. I was the champ of my city’s school system back in the 1960’s, so I get an idea. What was your age, and, of course, what word won the title for you? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/3 "2013-08-29T15:34:54Z")
8th grader, 14, kamikaze. Word before that was enchilada. Big let down…hard words, hard words, hard words, then easy ones for the win. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/4 "2013-08-29T15:54:36Z")
> [@Lord\_Geoff](#): > > 8th grader, 14, kamikaze. Word before that was enchilada. Big let down…hard words, hard words, hard words, then easy ones for the win. Huh? Wow. The words were a lot easier back then. These days, I can’t spell a single word used in the contests. What was the word that your final opponent got wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/5 "2013-08-29T15:57:53Z")
So what made you want to memorize a bunch of words? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/6 "2013-08-29T15:59:49Z")
Speller 1. **hubris** ---
**Author:** ![Mathematics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/7 "2013-08-29T16:00:19Z")
What method did you use to learn the words? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/8 "2013-08-29T16:02:06Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > So what made you want to memorize a bunch of words? I’m guessing glory. And chicks. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/9 "2013-08-29T16:07:20Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Wow. The words were a lot easier back then. These days, I can’t spell a single word used in the contests. > > What was the word that your final opponent got wrong? He missed renascent, which is slightly harder than mine but still fairly easy. I definitely knew how to spell it, and thus knew right away when he missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/10 "2013-08-29T16:08:23Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > So what made you want to memorize a bunch of words? I was just fairly good at an early age and it so happened my 4th grade teacher was a local coordinator of the spelling bees. To be honest, the motivation was more my mom’s than myself, but that was ok. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/11 "2013-08-29T16:10:16Z")
> [@Mathematics](#): > > What method did you use to learn the words? Basically what you did was gather up lists of words, either from the annual book of words they print and also words asked in old National Spelling Bees, and memorized as many as possible. Nowadays I believe there is a black market cumulative list sold by two ladies not associated with Scripps. Also, this year they started vocabulary (asking definitions) which I think is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/12 "2013-08-29T16:10:27Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > What was the word that your final opponent got wrong? renascent ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/13 "2013-08-29T16:11:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m guessing glory. And chicks. Oh man you should have seen the groupies at the after party. “We just loved how you spelled anorak right Geoff. That was so manly!” ---
**Author:** ![Mathematics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/14 "2013-08-29T16:12:35Z")
Sorry, I meant how did you memorize the words? Flash cards? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Geoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lord\_Geoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Geoff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/15 "2013-08-29T16:17:55Z")
> [@Mathematics](#): > > Sorry, I meant how did you memorize the words? > > Flash cards? I did have flash cards I would look at but for the most part it was my mom asking and me spelling and told if I was right or wrong. If I missed a word, I would have to get it right 3 or 4 times before it would go back into the “gotten right” pile. One thing we did that helped was we when practicing she would say the word, I would spell it, next. Could do a word every 10 seconds that way. If you fooled around trying to puzzle out every one you weren’t sure of, you just wouldn’t get much done. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/16 "2013-08-29T16:20:33Z")
What word during the competition was the most difficult to spell? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/17 "2013-08-29T16:22:48Z")
Can you still do it? Spell hippopotamus. No, wait. Never mind, I’ll be back later. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/18 "2013-08-29T16:26:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Can you still do it? Spell hippopotamus. > > No, wait. > > Never mind, I’ll be back later. Can you use it in a sentence, please? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/19 "2013-08-29T16:29:58Z")
Did you watch the movie _Akeelah and the Bee_? What did you think about it as a dramatized spelling bee movie? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500/20 "2013-08-29T16:33:47Z")
> [@Lord\_Geoff](#): > > Also, this year they started vocabulary (asking definitions) which I think is ridiculous. That sounds like an excellent idea. What’s the point of knowing how to spell a word if you have no idea what it means? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-national-spelling-bee-champion/667500.md?page=2)