Virginian Wins AARP National
Spelling Bee For “Word Nerds” Age 50+
AARP crowned Michael Petrina Jr., 64, of Arlington, Virginia,
the winner of the AARP National Spelling Bee, June 20. Petrina won
the championship by correctly spelling “woad” and
out-spelled 45 other spellers from more than 25 states who
competed in the record-breaking Bee that lasted 46 rounds.
Petrina and runner up Scott Firebaugh, 55, of Knoxville,
Tennessee, battled each other for 30 rounds to determine the
winner.
The Bee was held at the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne,
Wyoming.
Gil Couts, 66, from Bigfork, Montana finished third. A full
list of finalists can be found online at http://
www.aarp.org/spellingbee
.
“We’re thrilled that so many people from across
the country came out for this year’s competition and we want
to congratulate Michael for coming out ahead of the pack,”
said AARP Wyoming Director Tim Summers. “Our Spelling Bee
has continued to grow in popularity since it was created by AARP
members 14 years ago, and the cognitive and social benefits of
exercising your mind as you age make all of today’s
participants winners.”
The AARP National Spelling Bee began with a 100-word written
spelling test in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 16
spellers who advanced to the afternoon’s oral spelling
rounds. Spellers were allowed to miss three words in the oral
rounds before being knocked out of the competition.
The AARP National Spelling Bee was created in 1996 by a group
of Cheyenne AARP members who wanted to challenge the 50+ community
to keep their minds sharp as they age. It is open to anyone age 50
or older, except previous winners, and is supported by
Merriam-Webster Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, Taco John’s
Foundation, Franklin Electronic Publishers, the Cheyenne Area
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wyoming Network, Inc., the
Cheyenne Women’s Civic League, and the Laramie County
Library System.
“It’s great to see so many people dedicated to
keeping their minds sharp and taking on the challenge of
participating in the Bee,” Summers said. “We hope to
see even more spellers compete in next year’s AARP National
Spelling Bee.”
The top 10 finishers in this year’s AARP National
Spelling Bee were (tied spellers are listed under the same
number):
1. Michael Petrina Jr., 64, Arlington, VA
2. Scott Firebaugh, 55, Knoxville, TN (round 46)
3. Gil Couts, 66, Bigfork, MT (round 16)
4. Marlene Harry, 57, Brownsburg, IN (round 13)
5. Deborah George, 56, Livermore, CO (round 11)
6. Dr. Norman Zucker, 62, Sebastopol, CA (round 10)
7. Joan Saxton, 67, Sausalito, CA (round 8)
7. Carolyn Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 8)
8. Kate Karp, 60, Long Beach, CA (round 7)
8. Dr. Kent Stockton, 67, Riverton, WY (round 7)
8. Joseph Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 7)
8. Mary DeForest, 62, Denver, CO (round 7)
9. James Sherry, 57, Troy, AL (round 6)
10. Ed Dorschel, 60, Enumclaw, WA (round 5)
10. Lucy Morales, 57, Washington, D.C. (round 5)
10. Kathryn Pulver, 51, New York, NY (round 5)
