The 2009 National Spelling Bee winner is – Kavya Shivashankar
“Spelling has been such a big part of my life,” says the Scripps Spelling Bee 2009 winner Kavya Shivashankar to the Associated Press.
The new champion dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, but, at the same time, feels that nothing can truly replace spelling. Shivashankar will most likely go on to compete in the International Brain Bee.
The 13-year-old Kansas girl who smiled after spelling every word took home over $40,000 in cash and prizes, as well as the desired spelling champion’s trophy Thursday night in Washington. Shivashankar made four tries to win over the 10 remaining finalists.
According to Associated Press, her father, Mirle Shivashankar bragged that while his daughter may not put her competitive mindset on display “she still has that smile,” a trait that he calls it her “quality.”
Kavya Shivashankar is now the seventh Indian-American to win the championship in 11 years, including two back-to-back youngsters who also aspired to be brain surgeons.
The 1999 winner featured in a spelling documentary Spellbound Nupur Lala,was Shivashankar’s role model. Lala is currently working as a research assistant in a neuro science lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Shivashankar traveled from her hometown Olathe, Kan., three times prior to the 2009 spelling bee. The word that took Shivashankar to victory was until “Laodicean,” a phrase referring lukewarm or indifferent feelings toward religion.
The 2009 Spelling Bee Winner used the technique of writing the letters into her palm with her finger while saying them aloud.
Mirle Shivashankar told the AP that his daughter’s victory was “the moment we’ve been waiting for” and “a dream come true.”
The family plans to celebrate her victory with a birthday party, as Kavya had been too busy preparing for the spelling bee to celebrate her actual birthday, which was last week.
The 2009 National Spelling Bee runner-up Tim Ruiter from Centreville, Va. told the Associated Press that he “was just racking my brain for anything possible that could help” in reference to his missed word “Maecenas,” which is defined as “generous patron especially of literature or art” according to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary.
Ruiter joked that to the AP that he would start spelling “Maecenas” in his sleep.
A record-breaking 293 students came to spell in the 82nd annual bee, which was aired on television for a fourth year.
Our Take:
Congratulations on the 2009 National Spelling Bee Champion title Kavya Shivashankar!
The tremendous amount of determination and hard work it takes to prepare for the national bee seems immeasurable to me. I think a birthday party is exactly what Shivashankar deserves after a win like this.
For that matter, every participant in this bee deserves some kind of reward when they return home after training for so long, before they return to the dictionary once more to prepare for the 2010 spelling bee.
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Did Susan Boyle win the Final?
No she didnt win. She comes on second Place. Heres the Final Video from Susan Boyle on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uc_GXylH_E
Susan Boyle Final Performance
All eyes are on Susan Boyle as the finals get under way on “Britain’s Got Talent.”
The Scottish church volunteer’s soaring voice has skyrocketed her to T.V. fame in a matter of weeks.
In order to win, the singer has to outshine nine other competitors on live television in front of millions of viewers.
The performance will air live on British TV today between 3:20 to 4:40 p.m. Eastern Time.
There are two options to watch the show for viewers outside the United Kingdom.
1. Youtube: Videos of Boyle’s performance will be uploaded by the show and by viewers immediately afterward.
2. The official website: Videos will be rapidly posted on the show’s official website. Click here
The winner will be declared Sunday on the program airing 3:30 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
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