Balu Natarajan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1985. His trophy and newspaper clippings are shown, detailing his victory. PS Photography/Balu Natarajan Closed subtitles
This is 100 years from Scripps National Spelling Bee. Of more than 200 students, nine finalists will take the stage Thursday night.
Bees have been developing for over a century, growing more savvy, media and technology-savvy forwards. Scripps said the first game was held in Washington, D.C. in 1925, with only nine children participating. Eleven-year-old Frank Neuhauser spelled the winning word: "Glory", an elegant flower often found in hotel lobby. He won $500 in gold.
Since then, the competition has deepened and prizes have surged. Thursday's Bee's champion brought home more than $50,000, as well as medals, trophys and reference libraries. With the stage of hopeful people, several former winners reflect on their victory and how the national bees develop, namely becoming increasingly popular (thanks to TV) and more competitive (in 2019, eight kids tied for No. 1).
"Luge" is a small sled in which two people can sit or lie down.
Dan Greenblatt won the National Bee in 1984, and the shortest word ever.
After beating 150 other students, Greenblatt said he was rushed to California for a talk show interview, “healing my famous desire for unreservedness. I don’t want to be a TV star after that.”
Greenblatt talked to his mother several times before the bees.
He said, "It's spelled until you fall."
Now, the game has become more intense, Greenblatt said. The speller has a coach and has been tested in writing and vocabulary on the National Bees. The winner of the 2019 Eight-Teet is nicknamed "Octo-Champs".
“In this regard, they are going to have to make more changes to stay a step in that,” he said. “I think it breaks a lot of brains.”
Today, Greenblatt doesn't do much spelling, at least not as rigorous as Scripps Bee. He has judged some local bees, but his career has been a software engineer. For a long time, he said he shys away from telling others about his championship identity because it usually goes beyond conversation.
But in the end, he said winning the bee helped him overcome his fear of public speaking, making him comfortable on the camera and gave it to him with fearlessness.
"Everyone fails in life at least occasionally. There's nothing to shame on you. You learn from your mistakes and then go on. I think it's a good thing for kids," he said.
Balu Natarajan, an eighth-year junior high school student in Woodbridge, Illinois, held the trophy with the help of William R. Burleigh, vice president of Scripps Howard Newspapers, the sponsor of the National Spelling Bee. Bob Dotty/AP Closed subtitles
Balu Natarajan has three runs in three straight games on the Scripps National Bee, which will prepare by combing the giant dictionary with parents, writing words on the index card and using them as flashcards.
In 1985, he became the first Indian-American to win Scripps Bee by spelling “environment” (Mileu), which refers to someone’s social background.
“It’s amazing about an immigrant son winning the national spelling bee, and there are really many facts that matter to me,” he said.
Now, Natarajan's son joins the National Bee.
Physician Natarajan said that when he grew up, home computers were not used as learning tools. But now his son is able to learn five times the number of words he uses the technique.
"I think these kids are doing a really amazing job," Natarayan said. "They did come up with this incredible effort and were able to prepare for it, which is really like a marathon or an Olympic sport."
The winning word for Kerry Close Guaragno is "Ursprache", a German word in the language of parents.
She competed four times before finishing first place, and her job in public relations was convenient.
“Being a strong writer, being good at language is an important part of my work,” she said. “But, what I want to say is that bees taught me to calm under pressure, how to think on your feet and strategically will certainly come in handy.”
They are the course for today’s contestants as the various words used in the bees continue to climb. Now, students are asked to spell phrases, genus, medical drugs, etc.
But, like Natarajan, one of the most important gains of Guaragno during the Bee period is to keep moving forward.
For all other Scripps competitors, she said: "You've achieved something here, and it's a huge achievement. You've won a national championship, not every kid can do it. Be proud of this achievement."