Teen puts s-p-e-l-l on contestants

It all came down to "acquisition."

That was the word that cinched Haille Lines the victory in the 61st annual Yuma County Spelling Bee.

Lines said the toughest word she had to spell was "embezzlement."

"I was afraid I'd misplace the letters," she said.

Lines and a stage full of third- through eighth-graders from 50 schools across the county competed Wednesday at the Yuma Historic Theatre.

"I was nervous at first, but now I figure it's OK to not be nervous," Lines said. "After awhile you just kind of lose your stage fright."

After eight rounds filled with words such as "variegated," "lieutenant" and "miscellaneous," it came down to Lines and Alice Byrne sixth-grader Josh Owl. The only word Owl muffed was "osmoscope," an instrument used to detect and measure odors.

Owl said he was disappointed that he didn't win but was excited to have made the final two.

"He got eliminated in the second round last year," said his mother, Cathy Owl. "We were really proud of him to make it that far (this year)."

Owl described the experience as "nerve-wrenching."

"You have a fear of there being 50 kids or that you'll forget all the words," he said.

Lines and Owl were awarded plaques for finishing first and second. All 50 competing students received T-shirts and a copy of "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary."

Lines' win earns her a spot along with 27 other county finalists in the Arizona State Spelling Bee in Tempe on March 31.

The state winner receives a trip for two to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, $500 cash, a $100 savings bond, "Webster’s Third New International Dictionary" and "The Great Books of the Western World," a 60-volume set from Harrison Middleton University.

The event was organized by Newspapers in Education at The Sun and the Yuma County Schools Superintendent’s Office.

Michelle Sims, director of public relations and marketing for Arizona Western College, served as the pronouncer. Judges were John Vaughn, associate editor of features of The Sun; Kathryn Krouse, special projects designer and copy editor at The Sun; and Richard Fontanes, a teacher at Crane Middle School and the 2006 Yuma County Teacher of the Year.

Fontanes said the hardest part of judging was ringing the bell when a student got a word wrong.

"I felt terrible, that little ding," he said. "The kids dreaded it and the judge dreaded ringing it as well."

Sarah Reynolds can be reached at sreynolds@yumasun.com or 539-6847.