Written By Lisa Breslin
Audience members pounded crab mallets and rang cowbells, shouted pirate chants and “way to go” as nine teams of three spellers wrestled with words like succor, feckless, exegesis, diptych and parlous at the “8th Anyule Spelin’ Be” at the Career and Technology Center in Westminster on April 24.
By the end of the fifth and final round, the Bookaneers (Carroll County Public Library) captured first place with 24 points. Teem Panthurs (North Carroll Middle School) took second place and the fo-net-icks (Random House) spelled their way to third place.
Proceeds from the event, gained mainly from the $325-per-team entry fee, were an estimated $5,000, said Michael Memphis, spelling bee committee chair. The money goes to the Literacy Council of Carroll County.
Teams competed in five rounds and could select the level of difficulty of the words they spelled. Lynn Wheeler, Carroll County Public Library Director, served as the judge and signaled correct spellings with the ring of a bell and incorrect spellings with a clapper.
“It’s really nerve-wracking when it’s your turn to stand up at the mike and the light is in your face,” said Peggy January, who spelled for the Random House team. “But this was a lot of fun, especially with the cheers and the costumes.”
Competition was not limited to spelling prowess. Team cheerleaders competed in a “Best Cheer” contest. The winners: Carroll County Public Library for pirate chants and cheers. The Random House team captured second place for their parody of the Mickey Mouse Club theme: “r-a-n-d-o-m – h-o-u-s-e.” And third place went to Ben’s Krabby Kiwanians for their mallet- banging talent.
The event’s emcee and pronouncer, Joe Cimino and Judge JoAnn M. Ellinghouse-Jones respectively, kept the festivities and the competition rolling. Orin Hargraves, author of the official study guide for the 2008 National Spelling Bee, provided the spelling list and copies of “The Big Book of Spelling Tests” for the evening’s winners.
“We’ve been in the competition for five years and it is great fun,” said Cindy Ahmann, who spelled for the victorious Bookaneers with other team members Lisa Hughes and Krystal Padilla. “Strategy matters. We have plans for each round.”
Other competition teams included Carroll Community College, The Bee Bandits; Kiwanis Club of Greater Westminster, Ben’s Krabby Kiwanians; Landmark of MD, Carroll County Times News Hounds; Landmark’s Advocate & Community Times newspapers, Spoof Readers; McDaniel College, Green Terror Spellers; and Random House, Spell Bound. For more information about the Literacy Council of Carroll County, Inc: www.literacy.carr.org.
