East Meadow boy's spelling bee run ends

Naman Shakrani, 10, of East Meadow, learned an important life lesson Wednesday when he failed to place among the semifinalists of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, his father said.

"It gives him a sportsman's spirit and teaches him how to deal with losing and not winning all of the time," Kamlesh Shakrani said last night in a telephone interview from the bee, held at a convention center in suburban Maryland. "I'm very proud of him and his effort."

Naman, a sixth-grader at W. Tresper Clarke Middle School in Westbury, was saddened by the loss and fell asleep back in his family's hotel room shortly after he learned he didn't make the cut, his father said. He was unavailable for comment.

In Rounds 2 and 3 Wednesday, the boy correctly spelled the words "kielbasa" -- a type of sausage -- and "decrement" -- a noun meaning the gradual decrease in quality or quantity. But he misspelled four of 25 words on a written test given Tuesday to all 275 competitors, his father said.

Shakrani was standing beside his son when they learned the news; the child was silent. He had been studying for three months.

"He didn't speak for a while," Shakrani said. "He's sad. He's disappointed."

Shakrani said the family -- Naman is with his parents and younger brother -- might stay and watch the remainder of the competition or see the sights in Washington, D.C., depending on Naman's mood.

He said he is glad Naman had a chance to participate and has encouraged him to try to make it to the national bee again. Naman is eligible through the eighth grade.

The bee semifinal, featuring 41 spellers, will be broadcast live Thursday on ESPN from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The championship will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 8:30 p.m., with the winner taking home roughly $40,000 in cash and prizes.

Naman had a chance to compile 31 points in the preliminary rounds. Each of the 25 words in the written test was worth a single point -- among them were remembrance, jiggety and quietive. Louis R. DeAngelo, superintendent of the East Meadow school district, congratulated Naman on his work.

"We are confident that he will continue to excel in his areas of pursuit," DeAngelo said.

He won the Long Island Spelling Bee in March, competing with 20 other spellers in fourth through eighth grades.