Are We Running Out of Words For the Scripts Spelling Bee?

In case you missed the recent Scripps National Spelling Bee, there were duo winners for the second straight year. 13-year-old Vanya Shivashankar from Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, correctly spelled the final word presented to her as did 14-year-old Gokul Vankatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Why two winners again? Well, basically because they ran out of words to spell.

Shivashankar had to spell the word "scherenschnitte" correctly and Vankatachalam had to spell the word "nunatak" correctly to share the title. Both went through the numerous championship round words without determining a winner.

The area's representative this year came from Hancock County. Ben Hollis, a sixth grader from Hamilton Elementary School, won the Hancock County title and then captured the Peoria Regional title before moving on to the National's. Unfortunately, Ben didn't make it to the finals but it was a great showing anyway.

Are these young spellers getting so good that this event just might be in jeopardy? It wouldn't be in jeopardy if I was to enter.