|
|
Article: National Spelling Bee has international flair
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- May 28, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (Hide copyright information)
|
Thomas North sounded a little groggy Tuesday morning, having experienced what he called a "pretty erratic" sleep pattern during his first 24 hours in the United States.
Who could blame him? Of the record 288 competitors in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, no one traveled farther than the 13-year-old boy from Hamilton, New Zealand.
"We're still feeling the effects a little," said his mother, Katherine Foulkes, who accompanied Thomas for the 22-hour trip.
Thomas wasn't alone. Jiwon Seo, 11, flew in from South Korea with her parents and sister. Maria Isabel Kubabom, 13, arrived from Ghana with her mother, having spent an unscheduled night in New ...