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After Exiting Scripps National Spelling Bee In Heartbreaking Fashion, 13-Year-Old Is Grilled By ESPN

by Dan Fogarty | 1:57 pm, June 2nd, 2011

There were many agonizing things about Hanif Brown’s early exit from the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee today.

For one, his spelling exploits are a pretty big deal in his home country of Jamaica. So there are a lot of disappointed people there. Also, he was eliminated in what is probably the worst way imaginable: he spelled his word (“nataka”) correctly, but he did so after his allotted time ran out. It was gut-wrenching stuff to watch, especially as the camera lingered on Hanif’s disappointed father.

Naturally, he was interviewed by ESPN back stage to talk about things like his “eligibility” and how he’ll bounce back from this “incident.” Keep in mind that he’s 13 years old, and that this is not a professional sporting event.

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http://twitter.com/rowemag Maggie Rowe

Spelling Bee: this was so sad when I watched it! In the interview, in spite of what the interviewer assumed, Hanif says people from Jamaica only get one shot. Can we start a relief fund to bring him back next year? Poor boy! He didn’t misspell anything, and learned all those words and their pronunciations in 17 weeks.
Scripps, please find a way to BRING BACK HANIF BROWN!
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