Deer Park student wins regional spelling bee
Canwest Canspell
Katherine Laidlaw, National Post Published: Monday, February 22, 2010
Regional Canspell winner Laura Newcombe spelled 'maquette' to win $5,000 and a place in the national competition. Tyler Anderson, National Post Regional Canspell winner Laura Newcombe spelled 'maquette' to win $5,000 and a place in the national competition.
It had the makings of any good minor sporting event -- seasoned competitors, intense parents and a bitter fight to the finish.
And it was in the dimly lit auditorium of Ryerson Theatre on Gerrard Street that Laura Newcombe and Veronica Penny, both 11, faced off under fluorescent white stage lighting, Laura's glasses glinting and Veronica's hands clasped tightly at her front.
The spelling prodigies went head-to-head in the final rounds of the Canwest Canspell Toronto Regional Spelling Bee yesterday after the 75 other competitors were eliminated, confidently spelling words such as "tupik" (a tent made from animal skins), "catachresis" (using the wrong word for the context), "salicylism" (a toxic condition from ingesting too much salicylic acid) and "lackadaisical" (lacking spirit).
After correctly spelling "zugzwang" to advance to the final round, Veronica's mother Pam pulled her aside for a quick swig of water and a pep talk.
But it was "qigong" spelled with an x instead of a q that finally sunk Veronica after 10 rounds of back-and-forth with Laura, who then spelled "maquette" (a small-scale model, in case you were wondering) correctly to take the prize.
But the battle wasn't over yet--the bee took a dramatic turn just before Laura was crowned winner.
Veronica's mother quickly filed an appeal, citing the trouble pronouncer Peter Reich had giving the pronunciation of qigong to Veronica, who nervously asked "can you repeat the word?" and "can I have the definition please?" numerous times.
Laura's winning smile faded as she and Veronica waited for the judges' decision, sitting silently on stage for five minutes before Laura was again declared the winner.
"I'm really happy for Laura," said Veronica dejectedly, sitting with her mother after the competition concluded. Veronica has been competing on the spelling bee circuit since she was eight years old. She's home-schooled in Hamilton, Ont., with her brothers and sisters, and studies words--often through reading fiction-- for about two hours each day.
The pair have met in spelling bee competitions before, said Laura's mother, Zeuming Wong. "We know Veronica, we know how good she is."
Laura said she was delighted, but attributed her win to luck. "It could have gone any way," she said.
She first started spelling competitively after her older sister Leslie won a national bee. "I think her words were, 'If Leslie can do it, I can too,' " Ms. Wong said.
Laura studies by reading lists of words or answering quizzes by her mother, studying for hours each day. "Lately a lot. Two hours a day," said Ms. Wong. "But usually when she does it, she does something else, like origami or reading manga."
"More like three," Laura said.
"Three on the weekends," her mother said with a smile.
The only word Laura was asked to spell that she didn't recognize? "Subito," she said. "I was thinking benito. Like the fish?" Maybe there's an 11-year-old beneath all that discipline after all.
The Deer Park Public School student took home $5,000 and a trophy. She will go on to compete in the Canwest Canspell National Final at the end of March. Yesterday's regional final was organized by the National Post.
klaidlaw@nationalpost.com
