BCPL Director Cindy Brown told American Libraries her team only missed one word, “quenelle,” which is a small seasoned ball of pounded meat, but under the spelling bee rules they were allowed to stay in for another round because the team had contributed an extra $50 for a single second chance. The competition went for 12 rounds, but Brown said “the sisters went down with the word ‘chimopelagic,’” which refers to marine organisms that only dwell near the surface during winter. The BCPL team spelled that word correctly, then scored the win with “trinitrotoluene” (TNT).
The library and monastery teams were featured on NBC’s Today Show March 10 after publicity for the showdown in the Cincinnati Post emphasized the nuns’ return after retiring as multiyear champs in 2001. “It’s a great thing that something like this can make the headlines instead of death and destruction,” Brown said in the March 10 Post.
The BCPL team consisted of Brown, Library Technology Coordinator Michelle Foster, and Youth Librarian Mary Roy. More than 20 teams competed, including competitors from Campbell County Public Library and Kenton County Public Library, the third-place winner.
Posted March 10, 2006.