Our New Spelling Bee Champion!

13-year-old Kavya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas beat out 11 finalists for the title of the greatest speller who ever spelled (under the age 14) at the Scripps National Spelling Bee last night. Kavya won $40,000 in cash and prizes as well as a giant trophy/fruit bowl/dust collector. This was Kavya’s fourth time at the bee and it will also be her last, because of her age.

The word that won it for Kavya was laodicean. Fun fact for a Friday: laodicean is how Paula Abdul spells Lidocaine when scribbling an order to her back alley pharmacist because her mouth is too numb to speak.

Watching the spelling bee is always entertaining. Especially if you partake in a little audience participation. I like to rev up the bong, sip on a little Franzia on ice and compete right along with these tiny geniuses. Last night, I didn’t get one word right. That’s really not a surprise to anyone who reads this blog. I mean, I traded my Speak & Spell for a She-Ra doll when I was little. There you go.

But I didn’t even come close last night. I even tried all the tricks! I wrote the word down on my arm with an air pen. I cupped my hands over my mouth and slowly sounded out the word. Even when they flashed the word on the screen, I still couldn’t spell it! Does Sylvan Learning Center host a nightly happy hour?

Anyspellingishard, congratulations to Kavya! She is not only a spelling genius, but she is also connoisseur of French cheeses!