Saturday, March 08, 2014

A Kid Named Kush From Kansas

Its almost that time of year for the annual competition that brings tears to grown men and womens' eyes.  Get ready for that unbearable emotion grabber that causes one to cringe in anticipation while watching contestants battle through body twitches and brain freezes.  

Its one of the ultimate, gut-wrenching challenges for any kid.  Out of a field of hundreds hungering for the 2014 championship, only one will be left standing to claim it and make their mark in the history books.  Only one will quench that hunger and drink from the goblet of golden achievement.  For what is more golden in the mind of a child than learning the words that allow them to define and participate in a world they find so fascinating.

The Kansas City kid who just won the Jackson County, Mo. bracket, qualifying to represent in Washington D.C. come May, is 13 year old Kush Sharma.  After 90 plus rounds, Kush was able to out jab the other Mossouri regional contestants, scoring the knockout over a feisty and fearless fifth-grader named Sofia. It came down to a tie-breaker showdown round.  

The event had some delay due to adult organizers unable to keep up with the smart little letter-crunchers, but in the end they found championship words for champion caliber contestants.  Don't you just love the competitive li'l darlings?

Congratulations to all the contestants vying for the chance to represent their regions in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, to be held in our nation's capitol this May.  To Sophia, trust me when I say your parents and family members are proud of you for courageously competing and showing the promise that shines ever so brightly from the Hoffman family tree.  I share with Sofia and all the contestants, the infamous words of a great competitor:

 -Vince Lombardi — 'It's not whether you got knocked down; it's whether you get back up.


Congratulations Kush from Kansas, and know that your fellow Mossouri competitors and entire community will be cheering you on.  Just having a little fun, I do know how to spell Missouri, its Massachusetts that tangles me up from time to time.  


- Kush Sharma — "I don't think we see it as I beat her or she beats me," he told KCUR this week. "I think it's like the word beat me." 

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