70th Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 70th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 28–29, 1997 |
| Location | Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Rebecca Sealfon |
| Age | 13 |
| Residence | Brooklyn, New York |
| Sponsor | New York Daily News |
| Sponsor location | New York City |
| Winning word | euonym |
| No. of contestants | 245[1] |
| Pronouncer | Alex Cameron |
| Preceded by | 69th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 71st Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 70th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. on May 28–29, 1997, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Thirteen-year-old Rebecca Sealfon, from Brooklyn, New York won the competition by correctly spelling the word "euonym".[2] Sealfon's exclamation while spelling her final, winning word has been called one of the most notable moments from National Spelling Bee history, a "made for YouTube" moment.[3][4] Sealfon was the first home-schooled student to win the Bee.[5]
Second-place went to 11-year old Prem Murthy Trivedi of Howell, New Jersey, and third to 13-year old Sudheer Potru of Beverly Hills, Michigan.[6][1]
The first place prize was $5000 (as it had been since 1990), with $4000 for second place and $2500 for third.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 (30 May 1997). Home schooled 13-year old triumphs, Boca Raton News (Associated Press)
- ↑ Famed champ Rebecca Sealfon turns her back on spelling bee
- ↑ A spelling champ whose e-u-o-n-y-m should have been 'joy'
- ↑ Donald, Brooke (16 March 2005). Buzz surrounding spelling bees grows, Lawrence Journal-World (Associated Press)
- ↑ (2 June 2000). H-O-M-E schooling spells a winner, The Washington Times
- ↑ Riechmann, Deb (30 May 1997). 'Spelling is boring' but victory sweet, Free Lance-Star (Associated Press)
External links