VALLEY BOY MAKES FIRST CUT IN NATIONAL SPELLING BEE.Byline: Susan Goldsmith Daily News Staff Writer A 12-year-old North Hollywood boy with the dream of becoming the nation's spelling champ survived a grueling opening day Wednesday that winnowed the field by more than half. Mhair Orchanian will compete against 100 other youngsters today in the final round of the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee spelling bee n. A contest in which competitors are eliminated as they fail to spell a given word correctly. Also called spelldown. Noun 1. in Washington, D.C. Orchanian catapulted himself into the finals Wednesday after successfully spelling the word ``polydactylous pol·y·dac·tyl also pol·y·dac·ty·lous Biology adj. Having more than the normal number of digits. n. A person or an animal having more than the normal number of digits. ,'' which means many toed. ``I'm very, very ecstatic,'' Mhair said late Wednesday. ``I think I have a good shot at the finals. I'm going to win.'' More than 100 youngsters who made it to the national competition were knocked out of the bee Wednesday with words like ``antipodal an·tip·o·dal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or situated on the opposite side or sides of the earth: Australia and Great Britain occupy antipodal regions. 2. Diametrically opposed; exactly opposite. ,'' ``bonhomous'' and ``panachage.'' The bee's champion will take home more than $10,000 in prizes, including $6,000 in cash, a computer, four round-trip airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. tickets and an encyclopedia, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Joel Kammeyer, a spelling bee spokesman. ``The mood is electric here,'' Kammeyer said. ``It's very exciting. There's a lot of anticipation and mystery in the air.'' Some 250 youngsters from across the country won regional competitions to advance to this year's two-day bee, which is being held at the Grand Hyatt. The Valley seventh-grader made it to the national competition after winning a Daily News-sponsored regional spelling bee in March. To prepare for the national competition, Mhair spent months studying words with his father. His own preparation aside, Mhair said he was quite impressed with the academic caliber of his competitors. ``The kids here are pretty bright,'' he said. He described the mood at the bee as upbeat and competitive. ``It's a friendly atmosphere here,'' he said. ``Nobody is going around saying, `I'm going to beat you. I'm going to beat you.' They might be thinking that but nobody is saying it.'' Mhair's father, Jack Orchanian, is proud of his son's spelling prowess but is realistic about his competition. ``He's prepared but not enough,'' he said. ``These are extremely strong kids - all very bright and very good spellers Noun 1. good speller - someone who spells words poor speller, speller writer - a person who is able to write and has written something . . . . We're just hoping Mhair's luck continues.'' Twelve-year-old Chau Mai from Camarillo was knocked out of the competition Wednesday after incorrectly spelling ``pugilant.'' In addition to the thrill of competing in Washington, Mhair said he is learning some important life lessons at the bee. ``I'm learning you have to persist and you have to calm down when they give you a word you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ,'' he said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Mhair Orchanian, 12, of North Hollywood made the fina ls by spelling ``polydactylous'' Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. |
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