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#129066 06/04/04 06:06 AM
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Bingley Offline OP
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Apparently this was the word that made David Tidmarsh a champion. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5122188/?GT1=3584

Bingley


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#129067 06/04/04 10:34 AM
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This doesn't look like a real big deal to me, but can anybody tell me the meaning of serpiginous (from the same news piece)?


#129068 06/04/04 10:55 AM
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a wound or open sore which heals over in one place while continuing to advance in another. A serpiginous ulcer seems to be the most common use that I've heard.

EDIT: I guess it could be used in a non-medical context - serpiginous ivy, which continues to grow along its host, even as you cut it back

#129069 06/04/04 01:37 PM
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I heard the winner attempt to spell this word in a radio broadcast. Without the video, to provide cues, it struck me that David was undergoing respiratory arrest. Is this a form of child abuse?



#129070 06/04/04 02:19 PM
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>Is this a form of child abuse?

I think so. I saw a clip of one girl who would give a letter, cover her mouth with both trembling hands, pause and look frantically all around the room (just the eyes are showing) as though seeking an escape route, lower her hands just long enough to give another letter, cover her mouth...


#129071 06/04/04 02:49 PM
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The lovely AnnaS and I are planning on seeing the movie Spellbound. It goes behind the scenes and everthang.


#129072 06/04/04 03:39 PM
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I'm certainly against forcing kids to compete for this kind of thing. If they really want to, fine, but what kid would willingly put him/herself through something which makes you physically ill?


#129073 06/04/04 03:52 PM
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The 2002 documentary film "Spellbound" (not to be confused with the Hitchcockian thriller) follows eight competitors in the Scripps-Howard national competition and reveals a great deal about the impact which this pursuit has on their young lives. Director Jeffrey Blitz does not beat anyone over the head with his conclusions. Yours may be like mine: that it is not a lot different from what JonBenet Ramsey's parents were doing to her before her death. The film is available on DVD.


#129074 06/04/04 04:06 PM
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The lovely AnnaS and I were recently wondering if other, more phonetically spelled languages supported spelling bees?


#129075 06/04/04 04:48 PM
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it struck me that David was undergoing respiratory arrest.

He didn't look so hot either. Actually, in an earlier round, a contestant was so overcome, he actually fainted on stage. Before any of the onlookers could rush to his aid, he got back to his feet, headed straight for the microphone, and SPELLED HIS WORD CORRECTLY before going to have a bit of a sit down. Incredible performance under pressure.


EDIT: I see that it made mention of Akshay Buddiga (the fainter) in the article Bingley linked to, now that I've read it. I also loved this paragraph:

When spellers heard the dreaded ding of the bell for a misspelling, they were escorted off stage to a comfort room of snacks and sodas — and a dictionary, just in case they wanted to review what went wrong.

What good is a dictionary going to do them? They obviously don't know how to spell the word they lost on! ;)

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