Us > Spellers Gear Up for National Spelling Bee

ional Spelling Bee Starts Today, Featuring 286 Competitors

Andrew Zhou, 13, of Honolulu twists his feet while spelling during the first round of the Scripps 2007 Spelling Bee in Washington, Wednesday, May 30, 2007.  (Lawrence Jackson/AP Photo)

The 80th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, featuring 286 competitors from the English-speaking parts of the world, opens Wednesday with the preliminary round and concludes with a prime-time finish Thursday night on ABC.

At this year's bee, 13-year-old Samir Patel is trying to avoid becoming the Dan Marino of spelling. Samir, a Dallas Cowboys fan from Colleyville, Texas, knows all about Marino's 17-year Hall of Fame career as the Miami Dolphins' quarterback, in which he set records but never won a championship. This week, Samir is one of the favorites to win as he makes his fifth and final appearance in the bee.

"If I had to predict who's going to win which is a very dangerous thing to do I would guess that Samir has a very good chance," said James Maguire, who profiled Samir in the book "American Bee." "If another bad stroke of luck comes along and he needs to go home without the trophy, yeah, I think there would be sort of a bittersweet feeling."

Samir charmed the country with a stunning third-place finish as a super-confident 9-year-old four years ago, demonstating a vocabulary beyond his years and charisma to match.

Then, in 2004, he stumbled on the word "corposant" and finished tied for 27th. He came close in 2005 but was flummoxed by "Roscian" and placed second. Last year, the audience gasped in shock when he failed to spell "eremacausis," forcing him to settle for a tie for 14th.

"I feel I've been trying my hardest for the last few years and it hasn't worked out," Samir said. "But life is not completely about the spelling bee and I've learned to realize that. But I will be very disappointed if I don't win."

Samir, a home-schooled student, is the only competitor in this year's field returning for the fifth time. He's not the oldest there are plenty of 14-year-olds and even a 15-year-old but he will no longer be eligible after this year because he is completing the eighth grade. His reputation is such that the bee's director asked him to speak at the opening assembly Tuesday night.

"Because he's known, the pressure is more on him," said Jyoti Patel, Samir's mother and coach. "And if he doesn't perform, it causes disappointment. But being in the bee for five years we've realized there are so many surprise words, and you don't know who's going to get them or when they're going to come up. ... There is a lot of luck of the draw involved."

Samir shrugs off questions about pressure. He and his mother agreed that she feels it more than he does. She gets so nervous that during the actual week of the bee she turns over the coaching duties to Samir's father, Sudhir.

"He's the calming influence," she said.

Samir is taller, more mature and better able to handle disappointment than the little boy who needed a hug from his mother to ease his tears four years ago. He is well-rounded piano and swimming are among his regular activities but lately his free time has been devoted to words.

"As it comes closer," he said, "I'm trying to scrounge every possible minute to study spelling."

Next week, whatever the outcome, Samir will be done with bees. But not with challenging himself.

"I plan on entering other competitions," Samir said. "Math competitions and debate, hopefully. I'll still be busy."

On the Net:

Scripps National Spelling Bee: http://www.spellingbee.com

2007-06-03