Becker outduels former champ for spelling title

For 15 words, Joshua Becker and Chase Ramsey matched each other word for word in the Scott County spelling bee.

Without hesitation they breezed through words like “casserole,” “parasite” and “influenza.”

It was “leotard” - the 16th word of their back-and-forth exchange - that finally gave Becker the opening he needed when Ramsey inadvertently added an “e”.

“I think I got a little overconfident and the ‘e’ just slipped out,” says Ramsey, an eighth grader who was last year’s county spelling champion.

Becker took advantage of the mistake by his friend and followed with the correct spelling of “diesel” to become the new county champion.

Lots of reading and writing are the keys to Becker’s spelling success, says the sixth grader, who previously qualified for the local bee as a fourth grader.

“I studied some, but not a lot,” he admits. “I felt pretty confident.”

It was one of the best county spelling bees in several years for the 10 finalists from grades four through eight. After three rounds only two spellers had been eliminated. Two more were eliminated in each of the next three rounds, with eighth grader Taylor George and fourth grader Maia Carter tying for third place. Becker followed with the correct spelling of “analysis” and Ramsey added “iguana” and the dual was on.

It took 60 words and 20 minutes before Becker had spelled his way to the county title.

That earns him a trip to Great Bend on March 13 for the regional spelling bee to be held at Barton County Community College. The regional winner will earn a trip to the national spelling bee in Washington, D.C.

“I’ll practice a little more before the next one,” adds Becker.