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CNN Live At Daybreak
Story of Bright, Young Tennessee Student Who Spells Success One Letter at a Time
Aired May 29, 2002 - 06:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're heading up to New York for "AMERICAN MORNING" in just a minute, but first we want to bring you the story of a bright, young Tennessee student who spells success one letter at a time.
CNN's Kathy Slobogin has her story from Nashville.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tergiversation?
ALEX FRENCH: T-E-R-G-I-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N.
KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She may not know what all the words mean...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sinistrocular?
FRENCH: S-I-N-I-S-T-R-O-C-U-L-A-R?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perfect.
SLOBOGIN: But she can spell them. For 15 hours a week, 13-year- old Alex French grills for the National Spelling Bee.
FRENCH: A-T-B-E-P-H-R-E-N-I-A.
SLOBOGIN: This is a girl whose room is lined with dictionaries. A girl who gets excited about words like some kids get excited about CDs.
FRENCH: This is one of my favorites, buccinators.
SLOBOGIN (on camera): Spell it.
FRENCH: B-U-C-C-I-N-A-T-O-R-S.
SLOBOGIN (voice-over): Which, for those of you who don't know, means the cheek muscles of a trumpet player. Inspired by the national bee when she was seven, Alex has been a contender since the fifth grade. Last year, she won the regional bee with dactiloscopy, and went on to place 12th at the national bee in Washington.
Like most spellers, she remembers every word she's ever missed.
(on camera): What word did you miss in Washington?
FRENCH: Splanchnology.
SLOBOGIN: Spell it.
FRENCH: S-P-L-A-N-C-H-N-O-L-O-G-Y.
SLOBOGIN (voice-over): Alex's parents say they didn't do anything special to create a champion.
CINDY FRENCH, ALEX'S MOTHER: I mean she just amazes me. She spells all these words that I never even heard of. And it's like she hears a word and she pretty much knows how to spell it.
BOB FRENCH, ALEX'S FATHER: She has a gift for orthography, and there's no question about it.
SLOBOGIN: Alex's dad, Bob French, is her coach. His strategy: drill.
(on camera): Have you ever been tempted just to bag it?
A. FRENCH: Yes, I have. A few times -- well, a lot of times with my dad, when he's drilling me...
B. FRENCH: All right, p, h, you're right.
A. FRENCH: We get into all these arguments. "No, it's French." "No, it's Greek." And we just get so -- I don't know, it's because there's a lot of drudgery in it. And sometimes I just want to throw the books down and just run out the door and play.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my own.
SLOBOGIN: Being a champion speller means recognition, like getting an award from your old elementary school for being a role model.
A. FRENCH: No matter how hard the work is, it's always worth it. So go for it.
SLOBOGIN: But with the recognition comes pressure, a lot of pressure.
A. FRENCH: Well I don't think I would like it if everybody knew that I got 12th last year. And everybody in my school is depending on me, and everybody is rooting for me. But if I don't do well, then there's a lot of pressure there.
SLOBOGIN: Friends tell Alex if she loses this year she can simply try again next year. But that means another year of drilling.
A. FRENCH: They have no idea how hard these words are. SLOBOGIN: But for all the pressure, Alex says she's ready. Ready to spell against the best, hoping to win.
(on camera): It would all be worth it?
A. FRENCH: Yeah. It would be more than worth it.
SLOBOGIN (voice-over): Kathy Slobogin, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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