A Four-Time Winner! Josephine Kao to represent region at National Spelling Bee
By Robert Faturechi Sacramento Bee writer.
K-A-O.
Origin: Roseville.
Definition: Eighth-grade spelling whiz.
Usage: Josephine Kao continued her reign at the annual California Central Valley Spelling Bee, held in Sacramento on Wednesday, picking off obscure words with ease and claiming her fourth straight title.
Kao will represent the region at the national competition in Washington, D.C.
The competition took a turn for the dramatic when the field of some 60 kids was whittled down to two, leaving Kao and eventual runner-up Karen Wong on stage for nearly 10 rounds of words before Kao claimed victory, correctly spelling "Keatsian," an adjective describing something pertaining to British poet John Keats.
Kao said she expects to have an upper hand when spelling champs from across the nation compete in May.
"When I first went, I was inexperienced," said Kao, who is competing for her last year because of her age. "There's something to be said about just being comfortable."
Kao, who is home-schooled, said she devotes hours each week studying word roots and definitions. But her parents attribute her skills as much to natural talent - her spelling stood out at age 4 - as dedication.
Spelling bees are notorious for bringing out kids' nerves, as displayed by countless YouTube videos and a popular documentary, "Spellbound," that introduced the competitions to the mainstream.
During a break Wednesday, Megan Dominguez, 12, sat nervously as her mother, Jennifer, massaged her temples.
"She's my baby," said Jennifer Dominguez. "I'm just getting her to go slow and relax."
The seventh-grader, who takes lists of difficult words with her everywhere she goes, said she got her command of words from her grandfather, who was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
Molly Evangelisti, director of the spelling bee -which is sponsored by The Sacramento Bee - said the competition is a showcase for the area's brightest youngsters. "There aren't a lot of events that give children the opportunity to compete and get recognition for doing a good job," said Evangelisti, who is also on the board for McClatchy Corp., the company that owns The Bee.
Still, the competition is almost guaranteed to cause heartbreak for the vast majority of competitors, ranging from grades four to eight.
Deanna Nguyen sat in the nearly emptied auditorium during a lunch break, chomping on a sandwich. Her identifying number, an oversized No. 6, was still draped around her neck despite the fact that she'd already been knocked out, hitting a snag on the word "firmament."
"I felt like I was in a frozen state," said Nguyen, recounting the moments before she heard the dreaded bell ring to signify a misspelling. "I couldn't move."
Nguyen, 14, from Elk Grove, had spent four to five hours a day spelling difficult words. When asked how she stayed so disciplined, her response was curt, as if the answer was obvious. "Well, I make a daily schedule," she said.