Indiana Boy Spells 'Autochthonous' To Win Bee
Winner Takes Home $17,000
POSTED: Thursday, June 3, 2004
UPDATED: 6:04 pm EDT June 3,
2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Being the best speller in the country can take some getting used to. When 14-year-old David Tidmarsh won the National Spelling Bee in Washington Thursday, he covered his face with his hands, overwhelmed by what he'd accomplished.
Then he said: "I was just hoping that I got a word I studied." Moments earlier, the Indiana teen had hidden behind his placard, then lowered it, revealing tears in his eyes, after nailing a difficult word to make the final round. Tidmarsh, who tied for 16th in last year's event, took the winner's circle by spelling autochthonous, which means indigenous or native. Tidmarsh won $17,000, an engraved cup and encyclopedias.Tidmarsh attends Edison Intermediate Center in South Bend, Ind.He's a straight A student who spent months studying the dictionary to prepare for the spelling bee.Tidmarsh defeated 13-year-old Akshay Buddiga -- who rallied after becoming lightheaded and collapsing on stage.
But that didn't keep the Colorado eighth-grader from spelling his word correctly. Buddiga stood up again after a few seconds -- and, to the amazement of judges, he immediately started spelling his word. The word was "alopecoid" -- and he spelled it perfectly, bringing the crowd to its feet. Akshay went back to his seat, but was escorted off stage and given medical help.Akshay was eliminated from the contest when he missed the word 'schwarmerei'.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest running educational promotion."Each year we gather in Washington D.C. to celebrate the academic achievements of the world's top young spellers," said Paige P. Kimble, director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and 1981 national spelling champion. "While we're here to select a national spelling champion, it's important to recognize that all of the 265 young scholars who are assembled in Washington this week have already distinguished themselves as exceptional spellers. Qualifying to compete in the national competition is a significant accomplishment in its own right."The purpose of the National Spelling Bee is to help students improve spelling, increase vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives. For more information, visit National Spelling Bee.
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NATIONAL SPELLING BEE  Video: Spelling Bee Contestants' Tricks, Ticks Video: Meet The Spelling Bee W-i-n-n-e-r NOW YOU TRY WANT MORE? |
Previous Stories:
- June 2, 2004: Spelling Bee Rolls Toward Finals
- June 1, 2004: National Spelling Bee Begins With 25 Words
- June 1, 2004: Top Spellers Compete For Final Word
- May 30, 2002: Some Spelling Students Think Bee Is U-N-F-A-I-R
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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