|
| |
|
|
|
RUNNING ON ADRENALIN(E) |
|
|
|
Written by Citizen Staff
|
|
Sunday, 20 April 2008 |
Breanna Siemens appears at the CanSpell National Spelling Bee in Ottawa. (CanWest photo)
CanSpell National Spelling Bee
The cameras were everywhere, as broadcast crews and newspaper photographers captured every moment of Breanna Siemens and the other 21 competitors during their CanSpell National Spelling Bee experience.
In the end, on national television Saturday night live from the nation's capital, Siemens gave herself and her Prince George hometown an extra shot of adrenaline. Make that adrenalin.
She was already into the finals, one of the Top 10 spellers in Canada for 2008, but she was going for more when she ran into that aforementioned word meaning the hormone secreted by the body in times of stress. She got it correct, or so she thought - "A-D-R-E-N-A-L-I-N", she said confidently - but then she heard that dreaded ding of the bell used by judges when someone is eliminated. They informed her the word ended in an E.
"It was kind of weird because I thought I had gotten it right, I was sure I saw it both ways," Seimens told The Citizen. "I was confused. I went down and I told my mom I was sure I had seen it without the E. We borrowed one of the crew's laptops and went to an online dictionary and we found it both ways so we were taking that to the judges but we didn't have to. Katherine Barber (Canada's Word Lady and Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary) showed the judges already and they had already figured it out so we didn't have to appeal."
Head judge Klay Dyer made the rare ruling to reinstate a competitor. It isn't the first time it has happened, the Citizen has learned, but it is very uncommon and instantly made national news.
"It was hard to go back on," said Siemens but she rejoined her peers on stage to spell again. However, she couldn't get past the word "patois" which finally tripped her up and cemented her placing: 7th in the nation.
"I was nervous but I was happy that I did it (made the finals)," she said.
Siemens has turned spelling success into a Prince George tradition. The CanSpell competition is only four years old, and since then three locals have qualified for the Ottawa event. All have gone on to the televised round.
"All the the spellers we have sent to the national competition have made the finals," said Dave Paulson, editor of The Citizen which is the host sponsor of the regional CanSpell elimination round. "It shows the quality of the spellers that we have in our northern B.C. region. I am very proud of our young students, they are of national caliber."
The experience "was really nerve wracking and scary" said Siemens talking about the intense media glare not just during the spelling bee itself, but documenting all aspects of their five days in Ottawa. They toured the Parliament buildings including climbing the Peace Tower, they visited the National War Museum, the Museum of Civilization which hosted the competition, a walking tour of the Rideau Canal, " We did a lot," she said. "Ottawa is really different from B.C. It is a lot older, and the buildings are bigger and nicer and old."
The eventual champion, Ottawa's own Emma Brownlie, prevailed over runner-up Cody Wang of Calgary. Wang misspelled the word “Croesus” which opened the door for Brownlie who took the trophy a moment later when she slowly and methodically turned "hamadryad" into the championship word.
Siemens isn't finished yet, however. Even though she is back in Prince George now, heading for her regular Grade 8 classes at John McInnis Jr. Secondary, she still has to prepare for an even bigger spelling challenge. All the Canadians are also entered in the internationally renowned Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. She will be in the U.S. capital to take on the best in North America between May 27 and June 1.
"I will be more prepared with the media," she vowed. "I didn't expect the cameras there all the time, and I'll have more experience on the stage as well."
Canadians have done very well at the Scripps spelling bee. In the past three years, six Canadians have placed in the Top 16 there, and twice a Canadian has been runner up. A 7th place Canadian finalist has a demonstrated good chance going up against the continent, even if she does speak a slightly different patois.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 April 2008 )
|
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed