Youngest Canspell finalist says his time will come ... just not yet
'Maybe in Grade 7 or 8,' Thunder Bay boy says on eve of nationals
Most of Anthony Tassone's friends back home in Thunder Bay would rather thumb through iPod music collections than a dictionary.
They're not interested in learning obscure words that, say, can't be used in Facebook status updates, such as obelisk (an upright, four-sided and usually monolithic stone pillar) and auricular (relating to the ear) -- although who says they couldn't.
However, Tassone, who at nine is the youngest competitor at the sixth Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee, doesn't think he'll win the final competition (to be webcast Sunday live at canspell.com), but that's OK with him.
"Maybe in Grade 7 or 8," he said Thursday.
Leading up to the Canspell competition, Tassone and 20 other finalists have been in Ottawa to take in the sights, such as the RCMP stables, the Museum of Civilization and Parliament.
The winner of Sunday's final, presented by Canada Post, will travel to Washington, D.C., to represent Canada in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The Canadian champion also receives a $15,000 education award from the Egg Farmers of Canada and the Canwest Canspell Cup trophy.
Many of the 21 finalists from across Canada say they own computers with spellcheck -- although they're quick to add they don't usually need it -- plus devices for which brevity is key, such as cellphones and Facebook.
Still, they're adamant that, even in this media-saturated age, spelling bees are still important, and that technology helps them prepare.
"I think studying the words will help us throughout our life," said Scott Xiao, an 11-year-old Grade 7 student from Burnaby, B.C., who added that reading, writing and study skills were all part of the mix.
As for the spelling competition itself, "It teaches you that there's a lot of luck involved, and not to be nervous," Xiao said.
They're not interested in learning obscure words that, say, can't be used in Facebook status updates, such as obelisk (an upright, four-sided and usually monolithic stone pillar) and auricular (relating to the ear) -- although who says they couldn't.
However, Tassone, who at nine is the youngest competitor at the sixth Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee, doesn't think he'll win the final competition (to be webcast Sunday live at canspell.com), but that's OK with him.
"Maybe in Grade 7 or 8," he said Thursday.
Leading up to the Canspell competition, Tassone and 20 other finalists have been in Ottawa to take in the sights, such as the RCMP stables, the Museum of Civilization and Parliament.
The winner of Sunday's final, presented by Canada Post, will travel to Washington, D.C., to represent Canada in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The Canadian champion also receives a $15,000 education award from the Egg Farmers of Canada and the Canwest Canspell Cup trophy.
Many of the 21 finalists from across Canada say they own computers with spellcheck -- although they're quick to add they don't usually need it -- plus devices for which brevity is key, such as cellphones and Facebook.
Still, they're adamant that, even in this media-saturated age, spelling bees are still important, and that technology helps them prepare.
"I think studying the words will help us throughout our life," said Scott Xiao, an 11-year-old Grade 7 student from Burnaby, B.C., who added that reading, writing and study skills were all part of the mix.
As for the spelling competition itself, "It teaches you that there's a lot of luck involved, and not to be nervous," Xiao said.
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