‘PIOs dominate spelling bee due to perseverance’

Indian American children’s domination of the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee could be put down to their perseverance, the competition’s director has said while slamming the racist backlash against the winners of Indian-origin.

Indian-American kids have placed a stranglehold on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, winning it now for seven years in a row and all but four of the last 15 years. Indian-Americans account for just under 1 per cent of the US <g data-gr-id="25">population,</g> but make up more than a fifth of the 285 spellers competing this week in the 88th edition of the bee, beginning today. If recent trends hold, they would account for more than a third of the contest’s 50 semifinalists.

The winning streak of Indian-Americans is as impressive as it is difficult to explain. It is much the same way that Kenyan runners have owned the Boston Marathon. <g data-gr-id="28">The streak has</g> been much discussed and analysed in recent <g data-gr-id="29">years ?</g> except by the people who actually run the bee.

For the first time, Paige Kimble, the bee’s longtime director, agreed last week to address the sensitive question of why Indian-Americans have come to dominate the contest.

The difference for Indian Americans may be a commitment to pursue the spelling championship over many years, she said. “How hard a child works is a very individual factor,” said Kimble, who won the national bee in 1981. “But what might be happening (with Indian American contestants) is that there might be perseverance for the National Spelling Bee goal over a longer period of time,” she was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.