A Twin Cities middle-schooler breezed through his first three words Thursday in the Scripps National Spelling Bee but fell out of the competition on his fourth word.
Max Meyer, a 14-year-old eighth-grader at Minnetonka Middle School East, was presented with "dulia," the reverence accorded to saints and angels. After asking for clues in areas of word origin, pronunciation and definition, Max offered: d-e-u-l-e-i-a.
"Ding" was the sound that echoed in the still auditorium and heard by the ESPN2 television audience, signaling the end of Max's run on a day that started with 45 contestants in the finals of the 72nd Scripps National Spelling Bee in suburban Washington, D.C.
After Max, the field was quickly whittled to 10 during the day session. Later, in a live telecast on ESPN, Jairam Hathwar, 13 and Nihar Janga, 11 were crowned the champions in a tie. Each will receive a trophy and $45,000 in cash and prizes.
Max and the other finalists survived the preliminary rounds Tuesday and Wednesday. The field began with 285.
Max was flawless with his first three words Thursday. He flashed a knowing smile when he heard "dithyramb" enunciated by the moderator in the first round. Not surprisingly, Max peeled off the letters without a hitch and strode back to his chair onstage. Dithyramb is a usually short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain.
He returned to the podium for his second word of the day and easily ticked off "fremitus," a sensation felt by a hand placed on a part of the body — such as the chest — that vibrates during speech.
And as with the first two words, Max made quick work of "coquille," a scallop-shaped dish or a scallop shell in which various seafood dishes are browned and served.
