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Meyers back at states with different look

Letter to the Editor: U.S. Sen. Bob Casey does ‘what senators are supposed to do’

<p>For heart-stopping drama, heartbreaking loss and heartfelt happiness, you&#8217;d be hard-pressed to beat the regional spelling bee slated for 1 p.m. this Sunday at the Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort, Plains Township.</p><p>This is not simply a bunch of youngsters spouting letters. It is, as anyone who has attended the competition in recent years will likely tell you, emotionally charged, pulse-pounding stuff.</p><p>The students from area schools vying for a trip to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee are inevitably a collection of charm, spunk, nerves and smiles that would be the envy of any Hollywood agent looking to cast a movie full of varied faces, outfits and personalities.</p><p>A total of 22 spellers are expected to compete this year. You can get a preview of them in a recent <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/features/518061/22-local-spellers-to-take-part-in-times-leaderscripps-regional-bee-winner-will-go-to-the-washington" target="_blank">Times Leader article</a> by Mary Therese Biebel, one of the judges for the regional bee orchestrated by this newspaper. Just looking at the faces may prompt you to pick one to root for.</p><p>Hazleton Area School District&#8217;s Fidel Sanchez Jr., his hair buzzed on the side and spiked on the top, looks like one who will keep his cool. Pittston Area&#8217;s Dominic Bernardi sports a smile and fresh face that epitomizes the old notion of &#8220;boyish.&#8221; Wilkes-Barre Academy&#8217;s Shailee Desai beams while proudly showing off the certificate she got from winning that school&#8217;s bee.</p><p>If you think these spellers come unprepared, you&#8217;re wrong. A few might fall out quickly due to nerves or the bad luck of a tough word in an early round, but as the field winnows those who remain are almost always word wizards tackling tongue twisters few in the audience could ever hope to master.</p><p>Would you recognize a &#8220;decastich&#8221; if you saw the poem of 10 lines? Have you ever studied about life in a &#8220;bastide,&#8221; or medieval French village? And would you know a &#8220;crambo&#8221; if you saw an ineffectual rhyme?</p><p>And while the contenders often spend many hours preparing, these are not bookworms holed up all day with the dictionary. They are, as Biebel&#8217;s article noted, regular kids living regular kids&#8217; lives: playing soccer and baseball, learning piano, studying martial arts, tossing javelins and earning Boy Scout merit badges, to name a few favored pastimes.</p><p>So even if you don&#8217;t know any of the 22 bee participants, attend if you care to watch what is often both an endearing and compelling performance. In recent years the audience remained riveted as the final few went head to head for the regional title, gasps rising from the crowd.</p><p>Besides, you never know, you might be watching the next national champion in action. It has happened. Sukanya Roy won the regional bee three consecutive years in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and the third time proved the charm.</p><p>She took the national title in 2011 with the winning word &#8220;cymotrichous,&#8221; defined as &#8220;having wavy hair.&#8221;</p><p>The competition usually lasts an hour or so. If you&#8217;re free, consider stopping by and watching for, well, a spell.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">During a spelling bee&#8217;s waning rounds, the remaining competitors have nowhere to hide. Be awed by area students&#8217; skills during this Sunday&#8217;s Times Leader/Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Spellingbee1.jpg</photo0><caption0>During a spelling bee&#8217;s waning rounds, the remaining competitors have nowhere to hide. Be awed by area students&#8217; skills during this Sunday&#8217;s Times Leader/Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo | Aimee Dilger </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Spelling bee featuring 22 area students will put you on edge of seat