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12 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 20, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Practice makes perfect Spelling Bee champs Continued from page 10 at MacLachlan College, is signed up for his first spelling bee this year. "It sounded like fun," the 14year-old said. "I like spelling, I'm good at spelling ­ I've always been good at spelling, ever since the first grade." Jordy started competing in spelling bees four years ago because, he says, smiling, "I wanted the money." A fan of science and math, Jordy admits he's not a usual candidate for spelling bees. "There isn't exactly a math bee out there to compete in, and spelling seems to be more fun," he said. "For spelling, it's actually fun to study." Spellers are given a manual of words to study, and those are the ones they're tested on in early rounds. Later in the competition, though, competitors have to spell "unseen words" that aren't in the manual. When it comes to studying, every speller has their own technique. "I just write all the words down," said Ryan Beshara, a Grade 7 MacLachlan College student. "I write 50 words each day for two hours. I write each word five times, and then I get my sister to test me." Vivian puts in about an hour of studying every week, while Rachel and Jordy say they devote just 10 minutes a day to spelling practice. "When I'm done studying the manuals, then I study the dictionary," said Jordy. "Last year I only made it to `D' though, I didn't make it any further." Unlike many of the documentaries and Hollywood movies centered around spelling bees ­ Akeelah and the Bee and Spellbound are two recent exam- "I just write all the words down. I write 50 words each day for two hours. I write each word five times, and then I get my sister to test me." Ryan Beshara, Spelling Bee contestant ples ­ these local spellers don't have coaches, and they aren't exactly studying Latin and Greek to help with tricky words. Jordy says there's no need to study other languages ­ there's a simple rule to follow. "A lot of the words are Latin, and I know that in Latin, they don't have Ks, so all the Ks are like Ch," he said. "That's all you need to know." While there are differences from what we've seen in the bee movies, the chapter president says in some ways, the movies aren't far off from what she sees in the competitions, and with her kids at home. "I find it familiar when I watch those movies," she said. "They way they're studying, and how they're taking it so seriously. We get that here." And the seriousness gets turned up a notch in the provincial finals ­ Vivian and Jordy are no strangers to that. "I was really nervous, there were a lot more people," Vivian said of her experience at the provincials in Toronto last year. "The words were a lot more challenging." Vivian lasted until about the third round of unseen words, when well over half of the competitors were out, before misspelling a word. As for Jordy, he hung in there almost to the very end, placing fourth and just missing the podi- um ­ and there actually is a bee champion podium. "It's like the one at the Olympics," said his mother. "Jordy just missed it last year. He was devastated, he worked so hard and he thought he had it. "I thought he wouldn't want to come back and compete this year, but he decided to." Jordy is looking to defend his junior championship. Abdul, last year's runner-up, has other plans. While they're talkative and polite off the spelling stage, are Jordy and Abdul friends? "Not exactly," Jordy said, smiling. "This is serious stuff." The Oakville Spelling Bee is April 28 at Oakville Christian School. It kicks off at 10 a.m. with an opening address by Mayor Rob Burton. All three divisions will compete on the Saturday, with competition expected to wrap up at 5 p.m. Reading | Writing | Math | Spelling | Grammar | French | Study Skills Little Readers Registrtion NOW OPEN INSIDE EVERY CHILD IS A SUCCESSFUL STUDENT. For every age, for every need, Oxford Learning has a program to help your child succeed! Pre-K to Grade 12 Better Grades Confidence & Motivation Diagnostic Assessments Individualized Programs Regular Parent Reports Enrichment Programs Homework Support Sibling Discounts Organization Tips A better future for your child starts here! Contact us today for more information. www.oxfordlearning.com Voted Best Learning Centre 1131 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville (905) 469-1929 380 Dundas St. E. Oakville (905) 257-1207 Maple Grove Village 511 Maple Grove Dr. Suite 2, Oakville (905) 849-4027