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American Morning
Boy Wins National Geographic Bee
Aired May 24, 2001 - 10:45 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Geography bee time. We should have asked you a question earlier, but we didn't. The question is...
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you get one knocked off for that, then?
O'BRIEN: I need my lifeline right now because I can't find the question. The question is...
KAGAN: There's the question, they're...
O'BRIEN: There it is on the screen. "Below the equilibrium line of glaciers, there is a region of melting, evaporation and sublimation. Name this zone," and you have three lifelines -- no, you don't have any lifelines.
KAGAN: The mushy layer; I don't know.
O'BRIEN: The mushy layer? I was going to say the Titanic zone or something, since glaciers...
KAGAN: They said it was a good thing you were filling in for Leon since you;re smart about stuff like this.
O'BRIEN: Well, it's unfair, because I do know the answer now, since I cheated.
But let's listen...
KAGAN: That's true, you cheated.
O'BRIEN: Let's listen to the whiz kid who got this one right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK: Below the equilibrium line of glaciers, there is a region of melting, evaporation and sublimation. Name this zone.
Kyle Haddad-Fonda has written down, the zone of ablation. The correct response is the zone of ablation.
And so, by a score of four to two, our new "National Geographic" champion is Kyle Haddad-Fonda. Congratulations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: All right, 14-year-old Kyle Haddad-Fonda not only outsmarted a lot of people, but he made Alex Trebek even look kind of silly. No, he also secured a $25,000 college scholarship.
Kyle is now in New York; he joins us live to talk about winning the National Geographic Bee and what lies ahead.
Hey, quick, what's the capital of South Dakota?
KYLE HADDAD-FONDA, GEOGRAPHIC BEE WINNER: Pierre.
O'BRIEN: Good; very good. For 100 points -- all right, congratulations to you, sir. Why geography? Why are you so interested in it?
HADDAD-FONDA: Well, I don't know, it's just always been my favorite subject, and I think that there are kids who are born with a love for geography, and I was one of them. And just from a very early age I've always loved it.
O'BRIEN: And, you know, it's interesting because geography in recent years has kind of fallen out of favor in classrooms all across the land. A lot of school systems don't teach it as a specific subject anymore. Do you think that's a bad idea?
HADDAD-FONDA: Well, I haven't had geography in a class since third grade.
O'BRIEN: Well, there you have it, right? You did it on your own.
HADDAD-FONDA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: How did you learn about it?
HADDAD-FONDA: My parents helped me study for the competition -- and just because I love geography; and I've compiled notebooks of facts that I like, and put maps all over the walls. Whenever I get a new "National Geographic" I'll take the map out and plaster it up in the bathroom.
O'BRIEN: So are you going to be a cartographer some day, or a world traveler, an adventure, or perhaps both?
HADDAD-FONDA: Perhaps. It's a long ways off, but I'd like to do something geographic with my life.
O'BRIEN: What -- tell me about the competition. What's that like? I mean, a lot of people will tell you that they might not know a lot of things but when they get in the pressure of a competition like that, with all those people, and the cameras and so forth it's difficult to stay focused. Did you have any problems with that?
HADDAD-FONDA: I try to stay as focused as I can. I'm always nervous when I'm up there, but I also love geography and love to be up there. And it's just a great place to be, and I love the National Geographic Bee.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's give folks another flavor of some of the questions that were asked and posed to the group there.
And this one is a question that stumped everyone: "In political geography, a buffer zone is an area that separates two strong countries to protect territory or reduce the chance of conflict between them. Which of the following areas could not have been classified as a buffer zone?"
What was your best guess on this one, Kyle?
HADDAD-FONDA: Yes, I guessed Jordan. I wasn't sure, but it turned out it was wrong. The answer is C, the Aozou Strip in Chad.
O'BRIEN: You know what? I feel so much better, because I guessed Jordan this morning, too. That's good, that's good -- the expert and I agree. Now, of course, you know about the Aozou Strip in Chad...
HADDAD-FONDA: I do.
O'BRIEN: ... tell me about it.
HADDAD-FONDA: It's not a buffer zone because it's between Chad and Libya, and they were fighting over it for a long time. But it's not a buffer zone because it's not a separate country between them, it is part of one of them.
O'BRIEN: So in a way it was kind of a trick question; they were saying a separate country...
HADDAD-FONDA: In a way, yes.
O'BRIEN: What's next for you, then?
HADDAD-FONDA: Well, I'm not sure. There's the International Geography Olympiad in August, I'd like to participate in that. And then -- the National Geographic Bee is over for me, which is unfortunate; I like to do it. But I suppose everything has to end eventually.
O'BRIEN: All good things come to an end, Kyle, but I suspect we'll be hearing more from you in the years to come. Congratulations...
HADDAD-FONDA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: ... Kyle Haddad-Fonda, who won the geography bee with a question that would have stumped most of us out there, and he didn't get a lifeline.
Thanks very much for being with us on CNN LIVE THIS MORNING.
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