Speelin B
So I was planning on blogging about the Beatitudes today. But as I started the second part of my shift at the fitness center, I turned on ESPN to find the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Wow. It is most definitely the most nerdy thing ever shown on ESPN, maybe that's why I'm so intrigued. I used to be a spelling bee champ back in the day, but I would get out on words like "agrarian" or "mestizo." These kids eat agrarian for breakfast. You will probably never hear the words they are spelling in normal conversation.
These kids are hard core. Many of them have been coming to this competition for years. The commentators compared one kid to an Olympic athlete who had skipped the opening ceremony because he had refrained from attending the barbecue (I don't even know if I spelled that right) so he could focus on his words. My pre-spelling bee routine was reading Calvin & Hobbes.
One of my favorite parts of the show broadcast is the camera shots of the parents watching their kids. They make soccer moms look straight up apathetic. The color commentary on the spelling bee is also pretty enlightening, ex. "As soon as she knew the two latin roots they might as well have handed it to her."
Don't miss out. The Spelling Bee is on most of the afternoon on ESPN, and the final rounds are on ABC in primetime. (Not even the NBA conference finals make network television on a weeknight.)
Enjoy, but I'll warn you. You might find yourself reading the dictionary...for fun! And watch out for saponin: A glycoside compound in plants, which, when shaken with water, has a foaming or "soapy" action.
Wow. It is most definitely the most nerdy thing ever shown on ESPN, maybe that's why I'm so intrigued. I used to be a spelling bee champ back in the day, but I would get out on words like "agrarian" or "mestizo." These kids eat agrarian for breakfast. You will probably never hear the words they are spelling in normal conversation.
These kids are hard core. Many of them have been coming to this competition for years. The commentators compared one kid to an Olympic athlete who had skipped the opening ceremony because he had refrained from attending the barbecue (I don't even know if I spelled that right) so he could focus on his words. My pre-spelling bee routine was reading Calvin & Hobbes.
One of my favorite parts of the show broadcast is the camera shots of the parents watching their kids. They make soccer moms look straight up apathetic. The color commentary on the spelling bee is also pretty enlightening, ex. "As soon as she knew the two latin roots they might as well have handed it to her."
Don't miss out. The Spelling Bee is on most of the afternoon on ESPN, and the final rounds are on ABC in primetime. (Not even the NBA conference finals make network television on a weeknight.)
Enjoy, but I'll warn you. You might find yourself reading the dictionary...for fun! And watch out for saponin: A glycoside compound in plants, which, when shaken with water, has a foaming or "soapy" action.
posted by Ben Blakey at 10:22 AM
6 Comments:
"These kids eat agrarian for breakfast." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
one of your top 3 postings for sure. love it :-)
agreed...how do you spell that one word that begins with 'h' that means funny?
Anyways, great post B! Have you ever thought about journalism as a career? I would read your stuff way before Cal Thomas...
DB
Has anyone ever told you that you are like the Rick Reily of blogdom? Well you are.
Ben, the most nerdy moment of the Bee probably was when the girl from Jersey went up for her last word "URSPRACHE" (I just googled the spelling) and smiled because she already knew the answer when the judge gave her the word. Also, whose hobbies include badminton and rock collecting?
I watched that!
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