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Show Life and other trivialities . . dislike spelling bees By Steve Christensen Assistant Editor I somehow got swindled into covering the Uintah School District Spelling Bee last week. I don't like subjective contests. My wife and friends have always given me a bad time about refusing to enter my ' photographs in contests. But what does it prove? The only thing it proves is that this judge or these judges ( whatever the case may be) happens to like this photograph better than another, so it gets the prize. Big deal. But even photography contests are more fair than spelling bees. At least in photogrpahy contests there is something to attribute the decision to; someone's taste. In a spelling bee the random selection of words does more to decide the winner than anyone's ability to spell. These kids were asked to spell words I've never heard of. When was the last time you thought about buying a jetbead? What is a jetbead? According to Webster, a jetbead is "a shrub (Rhodotypos scandens) that has black shining fruit and is used as an ornamental." ornamen-tal." Wonderful. I'm sure each of those kids will plant jetbeads around the first home they buy. Luckily for the student given that word, it is spelled like it sounds. The student correctly spelled jetbead. Another word given at the bee was something that sounded to me like "killcrop", although I was unable to find anything in my 1969 Webster's spelled anywhere near how that word sounds to me. I still don't know what a killcrop is. The word that really got my dander up was "varied" or "buried" or something that sounds like that. I don't hear the best in the world, but I specifically heard the man say "varied." the girl spelled v-a-r:i-e-d. The narrator said, "incorrect." 1 I about came out of my seat. How could varied be spelled another way? I spent the rest of the contest pondering the correct cor-rect spelling of "varied." After the spelling spell-ing bee was over I found out the narrator had not said "varied," but hadar said something else. The rules state the speller is res-, ble for being sure the word he st. the word the narrator said. The may ask the narrator to repealfc. and even ask him to use the wore sentence. The girl thought she "varied," and spelled it her mv and mine. Perhaps the mistake on the gir ;: would not have changed theoutc-the theoutc-the contest. Probably the mis, not have changed the outcome (ft test. Cory Goodrich is a very int. person, and he should be given c-where c-where credit is due. He did notiri-. notiri-. mistake of spelling the wrong w: certainly something should bes: that, but I wonder if Cory would heard "varied" or the correct : the luck of the draw had placed ( that particular slot, I wonder i( be. now be the District Spelling champion? |