My 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee Team
I’m very excited for the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee taking place next week! Taking a tip from my beloved Jessica Cohn (jessicacohn.tumblr.com), I decided to create a Fantasy Team so that I’ll have someone to root for. I haven’t decided on a favorite yet, but here are my Top 10 below. Depending on how they do in the semis, I may pick a #1 favorite next week before the main event. The finals are airing on ESPN at 8:30pm est on Thurs June 2nd.
Speller # 50: Jessica D. Penu
My first choice was found on a ctrl+f search for contestants named Jessica. Gotta represent, right? I quickly realized that Jessica is also one of the best looking contestants, if not THE best looking. Obviously, looks are everything. She is from Ghana (so she probably has an awesome accent) and she loves Oprah. GO JESSICA!
Speller # 216: Jessica Lynn Anderson
There is only one other Jessica in this whole competition, and here she is. The only contestant from Rhode Island, Jessica is homeschooled and plays piano for old people. At age 13, Jessica obviously already knows the value of a dollar, as she already has a summer job lined up on a blueberry farm. Also, she was on Jeopardy! Kids Week, which is basically all it takes to get my vote. GO OTHER JESSICA!
Speller # 163: Naman K. Shakrani
Naman is my hometown hero, as he lives about 5 minutes away from me in Rockville Centre, NY. If I’m being totally honest, Naman doesn’t have a shot in hell at winning this thing. He’s only 10 years old and goes to public school. However, he’s a cool kid who plays musical instruments and likes to read. Even if he doesn’t do well or win, he still has a few years left to compete. And if he does win? I’ll be so proud! GO NAMAN!
Speller # 157: Arvind V. Mahankali
Arvind is my more realistic hometown hero, as he resides in Forest Hills, NY which is about 20 minutes away from me. Arvind tied for 9th place in last year’s Bee, so he really has a shot at going far this year. He once delivered a monologue to an audience of 7,000 people, so hopefully he won’t be nervous in front of the crowd and cameras. He speaks a language I’ve never heard of called Telugu, so that’s cool. GO ARVIND!
Speller # 236: Narahari Bharadwaj
I like Narahari because he’s from Texas, which is the winningest state in all the years of the National Spelling Bee. Narahari speaks four languages and is learning two more, which gives him an edge in etymology to help spell those big words. Also, he is a Science Olympiad and so was I. (Don’t hate, that shit was so much fun!) He is also a future neurosurgeon, so maybe he’ll grow into those awkward looks and someday be someone’s Dr. McDreamy. GO NARAHARI!
Speller # 239: Cassandra Guardiola
My 2nd pick from the great state (I guess) of Texas is Cassandra. At first, I wasn’t sold on her being my female from Texas, but I like her name and toward the end of her bio it says “She would most like to meet actor and musician Jared Leto, who is in her favorite band, 30 Seconds to Mars.” Done. GO CASSANDRA!
Speller # 24: Laura Newcombe
Laura here is a favorite for the win. First of all, who doesn’t love a Canadian? More importantly, Laura has participated in the 2009 and 2010 Spelling Bees, coming in 17th and 5th respectively. Is this her year!? I hope so, we need a female to win this thing again. She also has a lot of hobbies, and is learning Mandarin and French. Her favorite book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer, which goes to show that being a National Spelling Bee contestant has no bearing on being a lover of quality literature. However, I also enjoyed that book, so who am I to judge? GO LAURA!
Speller # 206: Joanna Z. Ye
Another favorite for the win, Joanna came tied with Laura for 5th place last year. Also one of the more attractive contestants, Joanna plays classical music and tennic. She has her own Day in Carlisle, PA. If Joanna wins, we will all have to find a way to celebrate by either playing tennis or a flute on June 11th. GO JOANNA!
Speller # 89: Yuichi Beinard Barnardo Yoshioka
Yuichi is from Tokyo, Japan and at age 12 already looks like he has the wisdom of a much older man. Besides having one of the coolest names in the competition, Yuichi loves travel, Harry Potter and soccer. While it doesn’t specifically say in his bio whether or not Yuichi and his family were affected by the terrible events in Japan, it feels good to support him and hope that he can take the win for his country. GO YUICHI!
Speller # 215: Julianna M. Canabal-Rodriguez
It’s nice to see so many attractive young ladies in this competition with defined eyebrows, I think their mothers are finally catching on. Julianna has experience, she participated in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Spelling Bees, coming in 9th place last year which makes her a favorite in my book. She likes to hang out with friends and listen to music, last year she volunteered at a summer camp for disabled children. Maybe if she wins, we can all go visit her in Puerto Rico. GO JULIANNA!
