Indian origin seventh-grader Kush Sharma wins US Spelling Bee _ India Today
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Login RegisterIndiana, PA :: News :: Regional, National, World :: Kansas City-area Spelling Bee Finally En
by BILL DRAPER Associated Press on March 10, 2014 10:25 AM
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Kansas City-area spelling bee finally ends
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A marathon
spelling bee between two Kansas City-
area students who exhausted the initial
word list last month ended after 29
more rounds Saturday when the
eventual runner-up stumbled over the
word “stifling.”
For more than an hour, seventh-grader
Kush Sharma and fifth-grader Sophia
Hoffman went toe-to-toe in the
continuation of the Jackson County
Spelling Bee, which began two weeks
ago but had to be extended after the
two breezed through the word list
provided by the Scripps National
Spelling Bee, then 20 more words
picked out of the dictionary.
[PHOTO: Frontier School of Innovation superintendent, Ismet Sean Isik, left, and principal,
Ilker Yilmaz pose with Kush Sharma after Sharma won the Jackson County Spelling Bee at the
Central Library in Kansas City, Mo. Two weeks ago, the bee ran out of words after the Sharma
and Sophia Hoffman eliminated 23 other contestants and went another 47 rounds against each
other. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Jill Toyoshiba)]
The contestants had no problem correctly spelling words like “boodle” and “slobber,” often
asking the moderator for a word’s origin, definition or part of speech. But at the end of the 28th
round, Sophia appeared puzzled when attempting to spell “stifling,” and even more so when the
bell rang to indicate she had gotten it wrong.
Following a lengthy break to listen to audio of the round to make sure Sophia had heard the
word correctly, the judges ruled that she had misspelled it, meaning Kush could claim the title if
he correctly spelled his word in the 29th round.
After being given his final word, “definition,” Kush drew chuckles from spectators watching from
a different room in the Kansas City Public Library when he asked for the definition. He promptly
spelled it correctly and won the bee.
The end of the match brought to a close a whirlwind two weeks for Kush, a student at Frontier
School of Innovation in Kansas City, and Sophia, a Highland Park Elementary School student in
the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit.
Three days after they finished in a tie on Feb. 22, both of their families were flown to New York
to make appearances on CNN and “Good Morning America.” The two said they had become
close friends because of the experience.
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“I was pretty sad when she got that word incorrect,” said Kush, who now moves on to the
National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May. “That’s the game, you know? It’s going to
come down to one person, whether you’re friends or not.”
Sophia said she was excited that she made it so far in the bee and that she planned to compete
again next year. Kush said he, too, would be back, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the two
dueled even longer next year. Mark Hoffman, Sophia’s father, called his daughter a tough kid
who gained a lot from the competition despite the emotionally upsetting conclusion.
“I think it is part of the growth of the kids to learn how to work through disappointment and
come out stronger,” he said.
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Golfer sorry for damaging green
March 10, 2014 10:20 AM
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama of Japan apologized Saturday to Ian Poulter and
other two players behind him for damaging the 13th green at Doral with his putter in the
second round and walking off the green without repairing it.
Poulter brought the matter to light with a series of tweets in which he called Matsuyama an
“idiot.”
Alvarez bounces back with win
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![Indiana, PA - Indiana County
Enter Search Here
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Login RegisterIndiana, PA :: News :: Regional, National, World :: Kansas City-area Spelling Bee Finally En
by BILL DRAPER Associated Press on March 10, 2014 10:25 AM
Click photo for gallery
Kansas City-area spelling bee finally ends
FollowFollow @IndianaGazette@IndianaGazette
Print Comments(0) Email 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A marathon
spelling bee between two Kansas City-
area students who exhausted the initial
word list last month ended after 29
more rounds Saturday when the
eventual runner-up stumbled over the
word “stifling.”
For more than an hour, seventh-grader
Kush Sharma and fifth-grader Sophia
Hoffman went toe-to-toe in the
continuation of the Jackson County
Spelling Bee, which began two weeks
ago but had to be extended after the
two breezed through the word list
provided by the Scripps National
Spelling Bee, then 20 more words
picked out of the dictionary.
[PHOTO: Frontier School of Innovation superintendent, Ismet Sean Isik, left, and principal,
Ilker Yilmaz pose with Kush Sharma after Sharma won the Jackson County Spelling Bee at the
Central Library in Kansas City, Mo. Two weeks ago, the bee ran out of words after the Sharma
and Sophia Hoffman eliminated 23 other contestants and went another 47 rounds against each
other. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Jill Toyoshiba)]
The contestants had no problem correctly spelling words like “boodle” and “slobber,” often
asking the moderator for a word’s origin, definition or part of speech. But at the end of the 28th
round, Sophia appeared puzzled when attempting to spell “stifling,” and even more so when the
bell rang to indicate she had gotten it wrong.
Following a lengthy break to listen to audio of the round to make sure Sophia had heard the
word correctly, the judges ruled that she had misspelled it, meaning Kush could claim the title if
he correctly spelled his word in the 29th round.
After being given his final word, “definition,” Kush drew chuckles from spectators watching from
a different room in the Kansas City Public Library when he asked for the definition. He promptly
spelled it correctly and won the bee.
The end of the match brought to a close a whirlwind two weeks for Kush, a student at Frontier
School of Innovation in Kansas City, and Sophia, a Highland Park Elementary School student in
the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit.
Three days after they finished in a tie on Feb. 22, both of their families were flown to New York
to make appearances on CNN and “Good Morning America.” The two said they had become
close friends because of the experience.
Be the first of your friends to like this
The Indiana Gazette
23,703 likes
Like PageLike Page Sign UpSign Up
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