Headline: NEWS ITEM REVIVES THE AGONY OF DEFEAT IN A SPELLING BEE
Reporter: By Greg Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed:  Thu., Jun. 3, 1999
Section: METRO, Page: B1, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT

A point of pride
  I've always prided myself on my spelling.
  
I may not be much of an athlete, I may not be rich, I may not be particularly good-looking (no one ever agrees with me that I look like Denzel Washington), but I've always been a good speller. It's a point of pride with me. Colleagues turn to me when they want to double-check the spelling of a word. I'm irritated when I read words that are misspelled. And while I try not to be overly critical of others who misspell words, I always try to make sure that my words are spelled correctly.
  
Please understand me, I'm not bragging. Everyone is good at something. Some people are good at throwing hook shots. Others can't be beat when it comes to cooking. For me, spelling is a strong point.

Spelling came to mind as I noticed the 72nd annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee taking place this week in Washington.
   Youngsters are being given words like "irascible, " meaning marked by resentful anger or a hot temper. Or "phugoid, " a word that means variations in the longitudinal motion or course of the center of mass of an airplane in flight.

The spelling bee reminded me of seventh grade.
  
Longtime St. Louisans will remember the old Globe-Democrat spelling bee. The newspaper sponsored the bee in St. Louis, and the winner got to go to Washington to represent the city in the national spelling bee.
  
At Yeatman Elementary School, each eligible classroom held its own spelling bee. The winner went on to represent the class in a schoolwide spelling bee. The winner of that one went to the city spelling bee, and so on.
  
With the classroom spelling bee coming up, I studied really hard. I was kind of a nerdy kid, and here was an area where I could excel. I randomly picked out words in the dictionary to study. I watched television to listen for words I didn't know, and attempted to spell them. I knew that I could do this.

Then came the big day. Our seventh-grade teacher, Mrs. Darden, lined us up and began throwing words out to us. One by one, my fellow classmates were downed by words they couldn't spell. Finally, only one girl and I remained. The word: "syllogism." The word went to her. "Syllogism, " she repeated. "C-i-l-l . . ."
  
"I'm sorry, that's not it, " Mrs. Darden said. "Greg?"
  
"S-y-l-l-o-g-i-s-m, " I said.
  
"That's it, " Mrs. Darden said, and a wide grin crossed my face.
  
I was the winner, the champ. I was the best, at least in Room 303.

Then came the biggie -- who would represent the school.
  
We gathered in the school auditorium, a dozen or so students, standing on the stage -- twiddling thumbs, biting lips, hoping to win but not knowing what lay ahead.
  
And then, like rapid-fire bullets, the words came, one after another. Easy at first. Words like "bifocals" and "corpuscle." Then harder. Words like "chrysanthemum" and "trousseau."
  
I'd made it through several words, in some cases knowing how the words were spelled, in other cases sounding them out and guessing their spelling.

Then the teacher turned to me and said "accede." The word means to express approval or give consent.
  
I'd never heard this word, but I sounded it out in my head. It sounded like "exceed, " a word I did know how to spell.
  
Finally I repeated the word: "Accede."
  
After pausing, I began spelling it the way I thought it should be spelled. "A-x-c-e-e-d."
  
"Sorry, " the teacher said. My heart sank faster than a boulder in the Mississippi.
  
I took a seat. The next guy got it. Ultimately, he ended up representing the school in the citywide spelling bee.

I'm sure that those going through the national spelling bee are finding it stressful, but there are certain words that they'll never forget.
  
I know.  
   Today, while I may not be able to spell every word, you can bet I'll always remember how to spell "accede."


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