O-N-E F-I-N-E D-A-Y

O-N-E  F-I-N-E  D-A-Y

State’s top speller pays high praise to runnerup

By Tim Unruh

A semi-famished Carey Chesire stepped away from the microphone Saturday, relieved and proud to be the Sunflower State Spelling Bee champion.

But before leaving the stage in Mabee Arena on the campus of Kansas Wesleyan University, the Andover Middle School eighth grader paused for a classy parting shot.

“She’s definitely gonna win next year,” Carey said, referring to runner-up Maci Perrins, a fifth grader at Langston Hughes Elementary School in Lawrence as “a really good speller.”

By then, the disappointed girl was in the stands, in the embrace of her proud family.

Carey and Maci were the last two standing after nearly six hours of sparring in a field of 84 competitors. They braved hundreds of words, and their meanings, many of which were a challenge for judges and other officials to merely pronounce, much less spell.

Rousing applause, when allowed, was common from spectators during the 16 rounds of competition. The field ranged from pint-sized third graders — Kingman County Champion Vaishu Kamesh was among the finalists — to middle schoolers, some who could also pass as football players.

But it was the soft-spoken Casey who claimed the crown and six days in Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Spelling Bee in late May.

Saturday marked his first visit to the state bee, said Casey’s father, Gilbert Kisang, who watched the bee with Casey’s mother, Cynthia and sister Joanna, 7.

“We are very proud of him,” he said.

Before Casey, 13, could satisfy his hunger at Salina Chick-fil-A restaurant, as was his choice, there were interviews and photos to pose for in the lobby of KW’s student activities center.

Asked how he learned to spell and identify the meaning of so many tough words, Casey replied, “Most of it is just memorizing. Seventy percent I did, and 30 percent was going over words with my parents.

He’s been to the nation’s capital a couple of times, and is “really excited” to make a return trip.

The state bee was loaded with emotions, from youngsters agonizing over difficult words. Some closed their eyes trying to envision the right letters. Others appeared to be using their fingers to write the words onto the palms of their other hand.

Nerves appeared to conquer others who jumbled spelling while standing at or holding the microphone. When the No. 1 judge, Kelly Hopkins, rang a bell, signifying they were eliminated after a misspelling or an incorrect answer during the vocabulary rounds, some retreated to their seats waving arms and snapping their fingers in an awe shucks sort of way. Others were heartbroken and sobbed.

Younger ones could only look forward to next year as they were consoled by others. Sportsmanship reigned supreme.

All the eighth graders were finished with the spelling bee portion of life, except for Casey, who is still alive for national fame.

The performance left organizers with the Kansas Press Association, with a warm feeling about the state’s next crop of leaders.

“If you ever feel jaded about the next generation, come to one of these (events),” said Emily Bradbury, KPA executive director, as she helped gather materials for the trip back to Topeka.

“These kids are alright,” she said with a smile.