U-R-S-P-R-A-C-H-E

That's the spelling of the winning word of the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship - the final of which was held today in Washington, D.C. and broadcast live on TV. Katharine Close was crowned the champion after many rounds consisting of words that I've never heard of and probably never will again.

I found it riveting (as expected) especially since the participants work so hard sacrificing so much at such a young age and facing such enormous pressure that now includes being on live TV.

It turns out a competitor can ask one of a finite set of questions about the word that s/he needs to spell to get a better understanding of the word such as: "What's the origin of the word?" or "Could you please use the word in a sentence?" The commentator for today's finals commented how one kid under pressure had inadvertently asked the question: "Can you spell that, please?" of the judges only to be told: "Not right now."