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Bocksnick, Bloomfield bound for state spelling bee

Issue Date: 3/12/2014
Last Updated: 3/12/2014 7:50:52 AM | By Megan Strickland  

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RONAN — Chase Bocksnick took a breath, looked skyward, closed his eyes firmly shut, and slowly and deliberately mouthed silent letters as glaring stage lights of the Ronan Performing Arts Center bore down upon him.

A misplaced “i” in the eighth round of the Lake County Spelling Bee had knocked out Polson sixth grader Taylor Bloomfield minutes earlier.

Bocksnick finished out the round by correctly spelling “mongrel,” and one final championship word stood between him and victory. After a last deep breath the Ronan eighth grader opened his eyes, and began to spell.

“V-I-R-T-U-O-S-O, virtuoso,” Bocksnick said.

Judges Linda Trickey, Susan Black, and Maxine Whitson smiled as they waved the green “correct” placard.

Bocksnick won a trip to the state spelling bee in Billings. He and Bloomfield will compete March 22 for their chance at the state title and trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

It is Bocksnick’s second time to make the trip to state. Last year he was runner-up in the Lake County Bee. The championship is no small feat. Some adults in the audience scratched their heads as pronouncer Michelle Wood read off the list.

“What the heck is that?” whispered one audience member as Arlee sixth grader Melaia Matt struggled with “waywiser.”

Wood gave the Merriam-Webster definition of the word: “an instrument (as an odometer or pedometer) for measuring the distance traversed by a walker, vehicle, or ship.”

Matt came close to the correct spelling, with a “z” where the “s” was supposed to be. She’ll have a shot at the county title for two more years. The competition included fourth through eighth graders from St. Ignatius, Ronan, Polson, Valley View, Charlo, and Arlee schools. The fourth graders were too young to be eligible for state, but Wood, who is also Lake County superintendent of schools, allowed them to compete at the county level. The differences in age could be seen as tiny fourth graders with squeaky voices stood on their tiptoes to speak into the mic only moments before hulking eighth grade boys stooped to spell in deeper tones.

Age seemed to lend a bit of an advantage. Despite their best efforts, all of the fourth graders were eliminated by round two. Fifth graders made it one more round before they too, were all gone after Boone Gilleard went out on “bequeath.” He lasted two rounds longer than older brother Cole Gilleard, a seventh grader. Cole hoped to best his younger sibling after also being defeated in the Mission school-wide bee, father Brandon Gilleard told fellow school board members at a February meeting. It created a healthy sibling rivalry.

Bloomfield was the only sixth grader to make it past round six. She was up against Bocksnick and St. Ignatius eighth grader Leila Marsh in the battle for the top three. Marsh exited in round seven, when “elixer” didn’t come out quite right.

Wood said the bee would provide memories for years to come.

“I still remember the word that I missed in the third grade that took me out of my third grade spelling bee,” Wood said. “It was really an important event to me.”

For many of the organizers and sponsors, the Lake County Spelling Bee is a long-standing tradition. Kate Ike has been assistant to several Lake County superintendent of schools, but she’s always been the one to organize the bee. Mary McCarley has assisted Ike in clerking the event in 14 of the past 16 years. Judge Linda Trickey has judged the bee for 15 years. Her son David is the only three-time county champion. He is now a doctor in Billings. Judge Susan Black has worked the bee almost as long, with 11 years of service under her belt.

This was the first year Wood was pronouncer, after an 11-year stint by Marilynn Tanner. It was also the first year for Cove Deli to donate trophies.

Funds that will provide accommodations for the state-bound spellers were donated by the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation for an 11th year.

Bocksnick’s win gave Ronan School District a healthy lead in the number of county-wide spelling bee champions produced. Since 1977, 15 champions have hailed from Ronan. Polson boasts 13 and St. Ignatius has had five. Four champions have been from Charlo, and two from Arlee.

 

Tags

Lake County   Arlee schools   St. Ignatius schools   Charlo schools   Ronan schools   Polson schools  

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