Sriram Hathwar continued his dominance in the Regional Spelling Bee, winning for the fourth time in six years - but first he had to fend off a challenge from a newcomer: his younger brother, Jairam Hathwar.
Sriram, 12, a seventh-grader at Corning’s Alternative School for Math and Science, correctly spelled “mobiliary” as his championship word, clinching yet another all-expenses trip to Washington, D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 29 and 30, which will be televised by ESPN.
Sriram won an electrifying duel with his brother in the late rounds of the regional qualifier, held Thursday evening at Campbell-Savona’s Stephen B. Morley Auditorium. The event was sponsored by the Corning Rotary Club, Kraft Foods, Arnot Health and Guthrie Health Care.
The bee started with 40 contestants who were the top spellers at 20 schools in the Twin Tiers. They were knocked out quickly in the early going, with a dozen falling in the opening round alone, and another nine eliminated in the second round.
By the eighth round, it was down to the Final Four, and that’s when the March Madness really began.
The last four standing included Hathwar and Jairam Hathwar - a 10-yearold fourth grader at Chemung Valley Montessori School who was competing in the regional bee for the first time. They were joined by Dennis Jacob, also from Chemung Valley Montessori, and the hometown favorite, Campbell-Savona Central School’s Colie Smith.
Jacob and Smith were knocked out by “exponentially” and “condescension,” respectively in the ninth round, setting the stage for the brother versus brother showdown as a buzz rippled through the crowd.
“I have a feeling this could take awhile,” joked Tim Allard, the official pronouncer.
And for the next three rounds, neither sibling flinched.
With Sriram going first and Jairam following, they nailed “parochialism” and “flexuosity”; “liquesce” and “adipose”; then “tyrannical” and “exaugural.” Finally, in the 13th round, Sriram got “coterie” but Jairam missed “jicama,” a Mexican root vegetable.
Then Sriram got “mobiliary,” meaning of or relating to household furniture, to clinch the title.
“We prepared together, but we had to battle off in the end,” Sriram said afterward.
Sriram and Jairam are the sons of Jagadeesh and Roopa Hathwar of Painted Post.
Sriram also advanced to the bright lights of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
In 2008, he was the youngest speller in the history of the event, but was eliminated in the preliminaries. In 2009, he finished 37th, and in 2011 he finished sixth.
Sriram Hathwar continued his dominance in the Regional Spelling Bee, winning for the fourth time in six years - but first he had to fend off a challenge from a newcomer: his younger brother, Jairam Hathwar.
Sriram, 12, a seventh-grader at Corning’s Alternative School for Math and Science, correctly spelled “mobiliary” as his championship word, clinching yet another all-expenses trip to Washington, D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 29 and 30, which will be televised by ESPN.
Sriram won an electrifying duel with his brother in the late rounds of the regional qualifier, held Thursday evening at Campbell-Savona’s Stephen B. Morley Auditorium. The event was sponsored by the Corning Rotary Club, Kraft Foods, Arnot Health and Guthrie Health Care.
The bee started with 40 contestants who were the top spellers at 20 schools in the Twin Tiers. They were knocked out quickly in the early going, with a dozen falling in the opening round alone, and another nine eliminated in the second round.
By the eighth round, it was down to the Final Four, and that’s when the March Madness really began.
The last four standing included Hathwar and Jairam Hathwar - a 10-yearold fourth grader at Chemung Valley Montessori School who was competing in the regional bee for the first time. They were joined by Dennis Jacob, also from Chemung Valley Montessori, and the hometown favorite, Campbell-Savona Central School’s Colie Smith.
Jacob and Smith were knocked out by “exponentially” and “condescension,” respectively in the ninth round, setting the stage for the brother versus brother showdown as a buzz rippled through the crowd.
“I have a feeling this could take awhile,” joked Tim Allard, the official pronouncer.
And for the next three rounds, neither sibling flinched.
With Sriram going first and Jairam following, they nailed “parochialism” and “flexuosity”; “liquesce” and “adipose”; then “tyrannical” and “exaugural.” Finally, in the 13th round, Sriram got “coterie” but Jairam missed “jicama,” a Mexican root vegetable.
Then Sriram got “mobiliary,” meaning of or relating to household furniture, to clinch the title.
“We prepared together, but we had to battle off in the end,” Sriram said afterward.
Sriram and Jairam are the sons of Jagadeesh and Roopa Hathwar of Painted Post.
Sriram also advanced to the bright lights of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
In 2008, he was the youngest speller in the history of the event, but was eliminated in the preliminaries. In 2009, he finished 37th, and in 2011 he finished sixth.
