Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 8, 1990 TAG: 9003092299
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E1 EDITION: EAST
SOURCE: By AMANDA BARRETT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Frank sat down in the ninth round after misspelling "cratered."
The sister and brother were among 15 Bedford County students who made it to the contest. School and spelling bee officials said it's unusual for siblings to compete against each other.
Their mother, however, said it's not unusual for her two children to compete against each other.
Suzanne, a fifth-grader, won the spelling bee at Moneta Elementary School. Frank, 12, won the contest at Staunton River Middle School, where he is a seventh-grader.
Before getting to the county contest, Suzanne and Frank had to win their classroom bees and defeat the other classroom champions in their school. Frank had experience from last year when he won his classroom contest.
Getting ready for Tuesday's competition caused very little tension between the children of Katherine and Frank West Jr. of Moneta.
Suzanne and Frank said they were thrilled that they were competing against each other. "It's fun," Suzanne said earlier in the week, adding it would be great to beat her brother.
The two said they enjoyed being in the spelling bees, even the studying. But as late as four days before the county spelling bee, Suzanne said she needed more practice.
"The only problem is that it is sometimes discouraging because I study, and then my mom will call out 20 words and of those words, I will miss 15," said Frank.
For the spelling bees, Suzanne and Frank practiced separately about four times a week, spelling words for their mother and father from a contest booklet.
"The bad part is that you can't spell for hours on end," said Katherine.
Frank said that he and his sister usually practiced in 10-minute intervals. "Sometimes we did it before breakfast and during and after homework so that we could get breaks from practicing."
Their father said although his children didn't win the county spelling bee and advance to regional competition, the experience helped them with their studies.
The younger Frank advises those interested in competing in spelling bees to read a lot. He reads the newspaper every day, and he warned, "study the words. If you don't study, you can't win."
Suzanne said she was disappointed at not winning, but is looking forward to next year.
Students are eligible to compete in the spelling bees from fifth grade to eighth grade. Nancy Hughes, an organizer of the event, estimates that about 23,000 students in the 17 counties in the region will participate in the spelling bees this year.
Christine Price, a seventh-grader at Bedford Middle School, and winners of other area contests will compete in the 1990 Regional Spelling Bee on April 7. The contest, sponsored by the Roanoke Times & World-News, will be held at the Sheraton Airport Inn in Roanoke.
The regional championship winner will receive a set of the 1990 Encyclopedia Britannica and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Spelling Bee Championship. In addition, the winner will receive $100 in spending money.
Suzanne, who enjoys softball, basketball, soccer and reading, has received a certificate for winning her class bee and another certificate and a pen and pencil set from the Roanoke Times & World-News for winning her school contest.
Frank, who likes playing the piano and trumpet, riding his skateboard, Boy Scouting and playing basketball, has not been awarded any prizes, but thinks he will receive a certificate at the school awards assembly at the end of the school year.
by CNB