Pakistani Brilliance
in Evidence at the National Spelling Bee
By Fahim Hashmi
Sami Hashmi |
Washington, DC: S-U-S-P-E-N-S-E-F-U-L.
That word aptly describes the rounds of the much publicized
2006 Scripps National Selling Bee. One could almost feel the
heightened tension in the air when a speller slowly uttered
each letter. As each round progressed, some spellers exploded
in victorious elation after spelling their word correctly,
while others hung their heads in dejected defeat. The painful
elimination of each speller was signified with the ding of
a bell. Only one speller did not have to suffer from that
dreadful sound, Katharine Close of New Jersey was the Champion
of the National Spelling Bee. Amongst the contestants, there
were only three spellers of Pakistani origin. It was amazing
to watch the children of immigrant Pakistani families, whose
mother tongue is not English compete at a national level in
the United States.
All 275 spellers were winners in their local school county
and regional spelling bees from across the nation. They proved
themselves as competent spellers from an initial start of
approximately 10 million spellers. Twelve-year-old sixth grader
Sami Hashmi won his local bee in Florida. Maheen Rana, also
a twelve-year-old, emerged victorious in a spelling battle
between seven counties in California. Thirteen-year-old Midhat
Patel triumphed over opponents to be one of the many spellers
from Texas. All three Pakistani contestants attended the Bee
for the second time. Sami Hashmi, Maheen Rana, and Midhat
Patel all returned with one year of completion experience
under their belts. They had spent hours studying for this
event, and were glad to be in such a prestigious competition.
The competition took place inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel located
in downtown Washington DC. Throughout the entire week the
hotel buzzed with the activity of roving reporters, candid
cameramen, studying spellers, and proud parents. One of the
more interesting spectacles could be seen every day in the
hotel lobby. Spellers seemed to be in a perpetual congregation
using books, laptops, and dictionaries to prepare each other
for the competition. Sami and Midhat usually frequented this
close-knit group of spellers. “They had mini spelling
bees, and I learned many new words,” said Sami Hashmi.
“Everyone was really amiable and helped each other out”.
This camaraderie evidently manifested itself throughout Bee
Week, where spellers high fived each other on and off the
stage when one or the other spelled a word correctly.
The first round of the competition was a written test, after
which all spellers moved to the second round where they got
a chance to earn a three point bonus to the written test score.
After all scores were tallied for each speller, only a select
few moved to the third round. Unfortunately, sixth grader
Sami Hashmi did not make it past this round, albeit he spelled
his oral word “emmeleia” correctly. However, Maheen
and Midhat both proceeded to the next round, successfully
earning enough points on their written tests. Maheen and Midhat
also made it through the third of the competition. In the
fourth round however, both Maheen and Midhat spelled their
word incorrectly and were knocked out of the competition with
a harsh ding of the bell. Midhat misspelled “cassideous”
and Maheen stumbled on the word “papeterie”. Midhat
felt “disappointed”, but still had fun at the
Bee. His favorite part during the week: a Memorial Day outdoor
barbecue. Maheen also felt disappointed but is content that
she “tried her best”.
However, Sami and Maheen both hope to return next year to
the National Spelling Bee. Unfortunately, Midhat will not
be able to compete in future Bees, as he enters ninth grade
this coming school year. However, he hopes his younger siblings
will reach the finals when their time comes. Pakistani influence
is not new in the National Spelling Bee. In 2003, Maheen’s
older brother Ahmad Rana, placed 12th in the entire nation.
These spellers urge other young children to aim for such high
competitions. “You can do just as well as anyone else,”
encourages Midhat Patel. “You should always strive and
never give up, and eventually you will succeed,” advises
Sami Hashmi. “If you follow the three D’s you
will reach your goal,” informs Maheen. What are those
three D’s? “Desire, Discipline, and Dedication”
she explains. We can hope that someday we will see a boy or
girl of Pakistani descent hoist the coveted trophy above their
head in front of millions of viewers nationwide and join the
few select individuals who are the spelling champions. (Picture
by Fahim Hashmi)
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