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B-a-s-i-m spells winner

March 15, 2009 1:06 am

Nine rounds into yesterday's Regional Spelling Bee, just four of 16 spellers remained onstage at the James Monroe High School auditorium.

For the next 20 minutes, parents, siblings and supporters held their breath and bit their lips as spellers Basim Abielmona, Hollis Cuffie, Megan Hellmann and last year's champion, Maria Wasilewski, fired off spelling after spelling.

Both Hollis and Maria are eighth-graders, experienced bee participants and the very definition of cool under pressure. But Basim, a fourth-grader, and Megan, a sixth-grader, weren't daunted.

After several more rounds, Hollis and then Maria heard the "ding" indicating a misspelled word and left the stage.

Then it was just Basim, Megan and a list of very hard words.

Basim spelled "albatross," "fennel," "intractable," "ambivalent," "boudoir," "musicale" and "barrage."

Megan spelled "vulcanize," "cryptic," "benevolent," "Kremlin," "alcohol," "subterfuge" and "empanada."

Then Basim got the word "kabuki," and he didn't know it.

"May I have the language of origin?" he asked pronouncer Ed Jones, editor of The Free Lance-Star.

"Japanese," Jones said.

Basim took a deep breath and spelled--substituting "oo" for the "u." Ding!

But Megan's next word was "relevant," and she also missed by one letter. Ding!

The contest was still on.

Basim: "f-i-l-i-b-u-s-t- e-r."

Megan: "c-r-e-d-e-n- z-a."

Basim: "d-o-c-t-r-i-n-a-i-r-e."

Megan: "o-m-n-i-v-o-r-o-u-s."

Basim: "i-n-c-o-r-r-u-p-t-i-b-l-e."

Megan: "p-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-o-n."

Finally, after Basim correctly spelled "accommodate," Megan tripped on "staccato," doubling the "t" instead of the "c."

Basim had just one word left to become champion.

When Jones pronounced "regime," Basim smiled.

He knew it. He spelled it.

And with that, the youngest speller in the competition became this year's champion.

Basim, 10, grinned and raised his arms in victory.

The Free Lance-Star, which sponsors the regional bee, awarded Basim an unabridged dictionary, $1,500 and an expenses-paid trip to represent the area in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Basim, a fourth-grader at Fredericksburg Christian School, is the son of David and Rogina Abielmona of Spotsylvania County.

He's one of three spelling siblings. Sisters Yasmine, a fifth-grader, and Leanna, a first-grader, also did well in their grade-level bees.

"I knew he was going to win from the start," Yasmine said about her brother.

He studies all the time, she said, and he relishes a challenge.

"It's his favorite thing in the whole wide world--he loves to spell," Yasmine said.

A dozen other spellers--already champions of their school or school-division bees--competed yesterday.

They included Allyson Beverly of Caroline County; Emily Camlin of Colonial Beach; Nick D'Addio of Fredericksburg Academy; Chiquita DeJesus of Westmoreland County; Lauren Howard of King George County; and Rebecca Kenaga of Culpeper County.

Also competing were Robert Kreiling of Spotsylvania County; Hope Leonard of Orange County; Michelle McClanahan of Fauquier County; Alicia Paulose of Fredericksburg; Octavia Philpot of the Dahlgren School; and Garrett Quigley of St. William of York School.

Laura Moyer: 540/374-5417
Email: lmoyer@freelancestar.com