“P-U-N-C-H,” the 6th grader in front of me says, punching through the air, adding a sound effect worthy of an episode of 1960s Batman.
I asked Tampa Bay Spelling Bee Collaborative champion Tommy Foster if he plays any sports. The 11-year-old says he practices tae kwon do, but doesn’t consider it a sport even though he is just one step away from his black belt. His father proposes that spelling is a competitive endeavor and should count as a sport.
In a flash of silliness, the two Foster males decide that tae kwon do and spelling should be combined. “Full contact spelling,” Jim Foster suggests. His son agrees and pantomimes punches and body slams while spelling out each action. Tommy’s mother, Chris, watches the banter and adds “oof” in response to the body slam. Tommy quickly interrupts the play to spell out “O-O-F.”
The home-schooled speller never really imagined that he would be preparing to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which begins Wednesday June 2. This year was his first competing in a bee, and according to his mother it was “sort of a surprise.”
“We figured the local bee would be a good experience and then we went in to the regional bee with no expectations,” Tommy said, “but we won.”
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2010.