Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter TRUDY ANN McLeary, The Gleaner's 2003 Children's Own Spelling Bee winner received a champion's welcome when she arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport from Washington, D.C., yesterday.
Trudy Ann placed third in the 76th annual Scripps Howard Spelling Bee Competition in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
While many Jamaicans at the airport made small congratulatory statements to the gutsy speller who beat 247 other contestants to snatch third place in the much-acclaimed international competition, a team of students and teachers from the Ardenne High School, which she attends, surprised her on the outside with a royal gift of flowers and a crown.
"I feel tired," said Trudy, after she disembarked the Air Jamaica airbus. "I am really truly honoured that I did so well; I am disappointed that I didn't win but considering that the person who won was there like a whole lot of times and this is my first time I think that I did really well," she said.
She screamed with delight as she saw some of her school friends in the welcoming party, which she said made her feel good about her achievement.
"I keep telling her that she is given a certain continuum to work in and when the continuum is finished then you can look back with a smile. And now she can have a broad smile because she almost did it," said Trudy's coach the Rev. Dr. Glen Archer. "It is a milestone achievement, her life will never be the same again," he added.
Trudy, who misspelt the word 'APLUSTRE', which means the curved ornamented stern of an ancient Greek or Roman ship, said despite many persons thinking that her numerous questions were annoying the spellmaster and judges, she was congratulated for her effort after the competition.
"After the competition, the judges and Dr. Bailly (spelling master) were saying very good Trudy and he wasn't really annoyed. I guess because I went beyond the two-minute time limit. I guess I just didn't know the word. Even if I had like 10 minutes I still wouldn't get it," she said.
Trudy's mother, Vinette McLeary, thanked The Gleaner and all the other contributors who made the trip possible.
This is the fourth consecutive year that The Gleaner has sponsored the Jamaican champion at the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee competition, an indication of the company's commitment to education, said Karin Cooper, The Gleaner's overseas publications and product improvement manager.
