National Spelling Bee runner-up, Akshay Buddiga, and his mom, Rekha, being interviewed by Connect for Kids (photo by Diana Strumbos)

Why are some kids so obsessed with spelling? For 13-year-old Akshay Buddiga (runner-up at the 77th Scripps National Spelling Bee, which took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC), the interest came early. "I actually like to study by myself without people watching me," says Buddiga, who lives in Denver, CO. "Since I was young, I've just liked to spell and define words, it's just fun."

Buddiga's mom and spelling coach, Rekha, helped him pick out list upon list of words from the dictionary to study in preparation for the event. According to Rekha, Buddiga really enjoys exploring language—as does his older brother Pratyush, who won the National Spelling Bee back in 2002.

Buddiga finished in second place out of 265 spellers taking part in the 2004 bee, which was won by David Tidmarsh, 14, of South Bend, Ind.

"Spell" in the Family
Mark Kroeger, director of communications and investor relations for the bee's sponsor, E.W. Scripps Company, had tapped Buddiga as "one of the spellers to watch" before the bee began. He explained that this year's contest was "especially special" because of the presence of four teens whose older siblings had done well in previous National Spelling Bees.

Among them was Abhiram Gunturi, younger brother to Sai, last year's National Spelling Bee champ. His sister, Nivedita, tied for eighth place in the 1997 national finals.

The 12-year-old from Dallas, Texas was feeling especially pressured in the days leading up to the bee. When called at his Grand Hyatt Hotel room after day two of the competition, his dad said that his son would have to pass on being interviewed. "We do not want to disturb him; he's busy studying."

The next day, Gunturi missed "fanfaronade" (empty boasting) in round four of the competition. Later, in the lobby outside the bee, his dad gave him a hug and said, "We'll be back next year."

Buddiga said he'd received one piece of advice from his brother: "Just to keep cool—if you panic up there, you're going to spell the word wrong even if you know it."

That advice seems to have been forgotten when Buddiga created the most memorable moment of the 2004 bee in the sixth round. Asked to spell "alopecoid," which means "like a fox," Buddiga appeared to faint. He stumbled sideways, and his bottom hit the stage floor with a loud thud. Seconds later, amid stunned gasps from the audience, he picked himself off the floor and began to spell the word. He nailed it. Organizers gave him a stool to sit on for the remainder of the event.

More Than Memory
Tidmarsh and Buddiga represent two very different styles of spellers. Buddiga is a word detective of sorts: he likes to ask for clues—definitions, languages of origin, parts of speech, and other pronunciations. Tidmarsh, an aspiring computer programmer, compiled a list of about 10,000 words after reading through the entire dictionary. He said he studied it for three to four months leading up to the bee. In both cases, memorization is only part of the picture. How words are used—and where they come from—are important in helping spellers decide which spelling pattern to apply.

For an example too simple to show up at the spelling bee, take the word allege. You might be tempted to spell it "aledge," but hearing the definition could help you think of the related word "allegation," giving you guidance in how to spell it.

In a 2002 review article, "Reconceptualizing Spelling Development and Instruction," Shane Templeton and Darrell Morris summarize the evolution of how educational researchers think about spelling.

"The ways in which spelling has been conceptualized have evolved dramatically over the last few decades, from considering spelling simply as a tool for writing to recognizing that spelling offers perhaps the best window on what an individual knows about words," they report. "There has been a similar reconceptualization of the development of spelling knowledge: It is now seen primarily as a process of conceptual learning, rather than one of rote memorization."

While this year's two top spellers took different paths to spelling proficiency, researchers point out that lots of reading and writing are necessary ingredients for any student who wants to get to the top as a speller.

A Downside to Spelling?
Joe Little, Managing Director of the American Literacy Council, a non-profit organization devoted to the study of language, was part of a group protesting outside the Hyatt during the 2004 bee. Little said that the event glorifies the struggles of children throughout the country trying to learn spelling under a system that "makes no sense."

Speaking in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Little argued that English spelling is "irrational." He said that the competition reinforces rules that contribute to dyslexia and illiteracy, while making it more difficult for immigrants to learn the language.

According to Professor Patrick Groff, Senior Advisor to the National Right to Read Foundation, a nonprofit focused on phonics research, spelling is indeed more difficult for many children to learn than reading. "There [is] no reputable disagreement with the conclusion that accurate spelling of words is a more difficult skill for students to attain than is reading them—there are more cues to success available to the reader than there are to the speller."

Some of the protesters of the National Spelling Bee pose for a picture (photo by Robert Capriccioso)

Still, Robert Sweet, Jr., a staff member on the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, suggests that English is "at least 95 percent regular" in its spelling. He says that once a child learns the rules of spelling, the exceptions can be easily memorized.

Protester Little has a six-year-old daughter who he said is a pretty good speller so far. Despite his own spelling reservations, he said that he would not discourage her from participating in a bee.

Pressure to P-r-e-v-a-i-l
While the adult spelling protests were taking place outside, many kids at this year's competition were feeling lots of pressure inside, while sounding out words like "amylaceous," "maraschino" and "siccative."

Tidmarsh, for example, was almost completely out of breath when spelling his winning word, "autochthonous," which means indigenous. During the bee, he sometimes hid his eyes behind his spelling placard to avoid seeing the hundreds of spectators and television cameras

And it was less than twenty-four hours after Buddiga explained the joy of spelling that he took his own stress-induced tumble on the bee stage. Later, Buddiga told the Associated Press that the bright stage lights had momentarily dazed him. (ESPN, which tapes the National Spelling Bee, uses special lighting for television broadcast purposes.) But he also mentioned on NBC's Today show that he didn't really know the word, and didn't care if he spelled it right, because he just wanted to get it over with.

At the close of day two of the three-day competition, Dr. Jacques A. Bailly, the bee's pronouncer, explained that all kids at the event—especially those with siblings who have done well in the past—face incredible pressure from their families, communities and themselves to succeed.

Bailly should know: he won the 1980 National Spelling Bee, defeating the current director of the program, Paige P. Kimble, who came in second place. She returned to win the event the following year.

In spite of the pressures, both Buddiga and Gunturi are expected to return next year to try once again for the championship.

Resources:

• National Spelling Bee Web site
• American Literacy Council
• National Right to Read Foundation

Rob Capriccioso former is a staff writer for Connect for Kids.