I'm on a Finola Day

I totally got into the National (make that North American) Spelling Bee yesterday. I picked a few favorites, including a kid named Allion Salvador (who finished third). Every time he’d come up to the microphone I’d yell out “ALLLLLLIONNNNNNNNNNNN!” I was also rooting for Bonny Jain, both because he won the National Geography Bee last week, and was going for an unprecedented Double-Dub, but because he was cool enough to have two traditionally female names. (Which I talked about over on Hyperion Rants a while ago.)

But my heart was always with Finola Hackett. First of all, she’s unbrearably cute. (Here’s proof.)

Secondly, she’s Canadian, and even though I’m no “home town” guy, I’ve tried to support Canadians when I can since I got up here. (Believe me: they don’t make it easy.) Even more cool: Finola has won the Canadian title both years they’ve done this. She’s the only Canadian champion in history!

And she’s so cute!

Plus, her name is Finola Hackett, which totally sounds like a Bond Girl or something. (Actually, her full name is Finola Mei Hwa Hackett, which his even better.)

Plus she’s an interesting girl for an eigth-grader. Take a look at her blurb:

Finola returns after tying for 11th place last year. She plays piano, fiddle, and accordion and has studied Irish dance for 10 years. Soccer, badminton, and swimming are her athletic endeavors; and she makes and sells beaded jewelry as a hobby. Finola likes Italian and Asian cuisine, especially anything with noodles. She reads fantasy and Agatha Christie novels.

I know she’s 14, but she can’t be forever, right?

Anyway, here’s my actual thoughtful analysis: I would never denigrate these kids. They work tirelessly to learn how to spell these words, most of which nobody has even heard of.

And yet, part of me feels like the competition would have more meaning if it was a Vocabulary Bee along with the spelling. As it stands now, their ability to spell doesn’t translate to all that much real-world use. (Not saying the skills they are picking up here won’t help them, but just in this case.) To be able to spell surely makes you intelligent, but many geniuses don’t spell well; they simmply cant be botherd.

In speech spelling never comes up, and with writing there is Spell-Check and dictionaries. I guess what I’m getting at is that it would be more impressive and show actual applied knowledge if the kids not only had to spell these words, but know what they meant.

With the Spelling Bee reaching unprecedented heights now (ABC ran the finals in prime time, for heaven’s sake), I doubt anyone will listen to me, but maybe we start our own Bee!