36 survive 1st round of spelling bee semifinals

WASHINGTON — Once again, Veronica Penny buried her head deep in her hands, a spelling bee ritual that helps her concentrate while filling the room with suspense. This time, however, she looked totally stumped.

The 11-year-old Canadian with the long blond hair covered her face for nearly a half-minute while contemplating the word "clary" Thursday morning during the semifinals of the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Eventually, one of the officials reminded Veronica that time was running out, so she took a stab at it. After she correctly spelled the word — it's a Mediterranean herb — she returned to her seat in stunned silence. At the next commercial break, she stayed seated while everyone else stretched until her mother approached the stage, wiped away Veronica's tears and gave her a hug.

"She had stopped doing it," her mother, Pam Penny, said of her daughter's look-of-despair pose that was the talk of last year's bee. "She didn't do it yesterday. It think it's because of all the cameras."

Veronica, from Hamilton, Ontario, was among 41 semifinals competing live on national television for the chance to advance to the finals Thursday night. The year's champion, the final survivor from a week that began with a record 293 spellers, will receives more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.

The youngsters who made it to the final day were the hardcore spellers, and it showed. Only five of the 41 were eliminated in the first semifinal round, and words like "strontium" and "parabulia" didn't stump anyone. The first to hear the telltale bell that signals elimination was Brandon Whitehead of El Centro, Calif., who stumbled on "acroamatic."

The favorites stayed alive without a hitch. Four-time participant Josephine Kao of Carmichael, Calif., flashed a big smile after spelling "myriarch." Kavya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kan., who finished in the top 10 each of the last three years, nailed "ergasia."

Last year's runner-up, Sidharth Chand of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was his usual all-business self in his white shirt, blue sweater and tie as he spelled "sobornost." Keiko Bridwell of Duncan, S.C., back for the fourth time after tying for 17th last year, was given the proper noun "Esau." Another four-time competitor, Vaibhav Vavilala of Carmel, Ind., advanced with "nullibicity."