The kids who can out-spell us all

  • 19/10/2015
The kids who can out-spell us all

By Ryan Bridge

So much pressure, so many big words – one letter comes out as a mistake and your chances of being a champion that year are over.

This is what makes Spelling Bees a sport.

Teenagers out-spell thousands of contestants at local and regional rounds for a chance to battle it for the top spot.

The annual National Spelling Bee Championship was held in Wellington this year and you might have thought it was the girls' final with 15 out of the 18 finalists being females.

The national championship has been running for 11 years and more than half have been won by girls.

Story went to meet these self-described nerds who are not just smart, but also resilient and we had a challenge of our own to give them; could they spell Heather du Plessis-Allan's last name?

Watch the video for the full Story report.