Quick: What's a 13-letter word meaning timid, or showing a lack of courage? And spell it correctly, please.
If you answered "pusillanimous," you may, just may, be able to match wits with local prodigies Connor Moore, Natalie Cervelli, Brianna Piergallini and the 272 other youngsters taking part in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. The pressure-packed contest began Tuesday morning with a 25-word written exam at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center near Washington, D.C.
The bee continues today when all spellers return for two preliminary, onstage rounds, after which as many as 50 will advance to Thursday's semifinals based on their combined performances in those rounds and the written test. Those preliminary rounds will be broadcast on ESPN3 starting at 8 a.m.
The semifinals and finals will be broadcast Thursday on ESPN, at 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively.
Meet the local competitors:
Moore, 11, a fifth-grader from Woodsdale Elementary School, is a voracious reader whose hobbies include playing video games, jumping on his trampoline and creating videos using stop-motion animation. He also earned a spot as an alternate in Ohio County's Math Field Day competition. He's taking classes at his church in preparation for confirmation and said his parents are his biggest role models. He has two dogs, schnauzers named Dodger and Sweetie. He is sponsored by The Catholic Spirit of Wheeling.
Cervelli, 12, a seventh-grader at St. John Central Grade School in Bellaire, is an aspiring future FBI agent who loves singing, reading and outdoor pursuits like fishing, hunting, camping, boating and running cross country. She once designed a badge for NASA's Challenger Learning Center that was included on its wall of successful mission badges. She also enjoys volunteer work. Taylor Swift is her favorite singer. She is sponsored by The Times Leader.
Piergallini, 12, a seventh-grader at Indian Creek Junior High School in Mingo Junction, is a budding athlete, taking part in basketball, volleyball and fast-pitch softball. Her basketball team at Indian Creek won the 2011 Buckeye Mountain Athletic Conference title. She also plays clarinet and bass clarinet in the school band and her hobbies include baton twirling and learning about Italian culture. She is a student council representative, secretary of her seventh-grade class and treasurer of the Golden Horseshoe 4-H Club. At the Jefferson County Fair, she won a junior showmanship award and first place for showing a market lamb. She is sponsored by The Herald-Star.
Participants on Monday got a chance to relax and do a little sightseeing in the nation's capital before getting down to business. They visited Arlington National Cemetery, where small American flags decorated every grave in observance of Memorial Day.
"It was really moving," said Jody Campbell, a St. John Grade School teacher who is the school's spelling bee coordinator and coach.
The group also saw the changing of the guard at Arlington and attended a barbecue at Gunston Hall, once owned by George Mason IV (1725-1792). Mason, who was author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, was among the first to call for such fundamental American liberties as religious toleration and freedom of the press.
Competitors ate chicken, ribs and hot dogs while having fun on inflatables and participating in karaoke.
In addition to having the opportunity to explore the Mason mansion, those involved in the bee played games and participated in sporting activities.
Cervelli, who earned an all-expenses paid trip to the national bee, courtesy of The Times Leader and Riesbeck's Food Markets, was accompanied to Washington, D.C., by her parents, Amy and Mark Cervelli, and her brother, Nick, of Bellaire, as well as Campbell and Linda Donahue, a third grade teacher at St. John.
The Bellaire girl has also received prizes from other sponsors. Included are travel courtesy of AirportLimousine Service Inc. and AAA Ohio Auto Club, a $1,000 U.S. savings bond courtesy of The Citizens Bank, first-place trophy, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, a plaque with the two winner words for school display, a one-year subscription to Britannica Online for Kids and an Amazon.com gift certificate.
Note: The word referenced at the top of this story is an example from the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee written exam. Others included "cynophilist" - another word for dog-lovers - and "misoneism," or a hatred or fear of change and innovation. You can test your skills online by taking that test at www.spellingbee.com.