We're at the scripts national spelling
be in Washington DC where kids politely
destroy each other with vocab. They
don't get here with talent. They get
here with hard work, dedication, and
sacrifice. And if they're fortunate
enough, they become the champion.
>> Trey, you are the two
What was going through your mind when
you were lifting that trophy above your
head? You know, I was just so relieved
and excited to be honest. It was It's It
It was just such an amazing moment for
me. I I was just so happy.
>> How you going to celebrate?
>> Uh not sleep tonight.
>> Yes, let's go.
>> And here is our youngster.
>> Hello again. They spelled their way
through some of the toughest words in
the English language with focus,
confidence, and composure far beyond
their years.
>> Next up, we got
>> It all started with 247 competitors on
Tuesday. The youngest just 9 years old.
The age limit to compete 15. Spellellars
representing all 50 states plus 13
international competitors, all chasing
the same dream.
>> Hi.
>> But by Thursday night, the field had
been whittleled down to just nine
finalists. Smart. Of course, these kids
can spell words that most adults think
are prescription medications.
>> Numo Ultra Microscopic volcanoes.
>> Can you spell that?
>> P N U M O L U L T R E M I C R O S E O P
I C S I L I C O B O L C A N C O N I O S
I S.
>> That's right.
>> Revy. A M A R E V O L E. Amari.
>> That is correct.
>> Thank you. After spending some time with
contestants during the semifinals, one
thing became crystal clear. This is not
some magical gift. Every spell I spoke
with pointed to the same formula, hard
work, discipline, and sacrifice.
>> It's not natural talent that can get you
somewhere like um scripts. It's it's
more about the hard work you put in
because at the end of the day, talent
can only take you so far, but to get to
such a big stage, you also need to put
in lots of work. You have to prepare so
much and put in hours and hours on end
per day and like you have to make a lot
of sacrifices, but it's all worth it in
the end because your hard work will pay
off.
>> Some study up to 10 hours a day on
weekends. And honestly, preparing for
this feels a lot like training for a
championship in sports. Film study
becomes dictionary study. Muscle memory
becomes word roots and language
patterns. But this is the only
competition in sports where one
misplaced vow can end your season.
>> I'm sorry. Your adenium is u e d i n i
m.
>> Love your enthusiasm. We're going to
hope to see you back.
>> Congratulations.
>> For three days, these kids politely
dismantled one another with vocabulary,
all chasing the $50,000 grand prize. But
what stood out most, the motivation was
about far more than cash. It's a really
great place to be, especially since like
a lot of people I'm surrounded by a lot
of people who enjoy the same things that
I do.
>> Mostly I just wanted to get to finals
and I also wanted to be on live TV.
>> Yeah, let's go up. Now, even the
contestants eliminated in the earlier
rounds, heartbroken their journey was
over, many stayed to watch the finals
anyway, not bitter, not jealous,
cheering for the very competitors who
had just outspelled them because they
understood just how hard everyone worked
to get here.
>> It's It's really fun. It's been just
been such a fun experience. And I've met
so many great people. Like I still have
another kid from Minnesota who's like
I'm really close with in the beach. So,
I'll be sitting around. I'll be cheering
for him. I prepared so much and so did
they. So, we might as well like cheer
them on for still going.
>> For many of these spellers, they can
finally catch their breath. For now, at
least, 78 contestants in this year's
field had already competed at the
national level before. And for those who
fell short, their comeback story may
already be underway.
>> Well, I'm going to start practicing now
so that I'll have a whole year. Long
after the final bell rings and the
confetti falls, what lingers most isn't
the winning word. It's the perseverance,
the humility, and a room full of kids
proving that excellence and kindness can
still exist side by side.
Pop quiz hot shot. Which is the only
landlocked country in Southeast Asia?
Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, or
Philippines?
If you said Laosai Mikong congratulate
you. Despite being the only country in
the region to be completely surrounded
by land, the Meong River during its
monsoon season can grow to be about 9
miles wide, creating an archipelago
known as the 4,000 Islands.
There's a new plan now in place for how
to rescue the men who have been trapped
for a week and have been found alive
deep in a cave in Southeast Asia. Video
shows rescue divers reaching the group
in Laos for a second time, bringing them
supplies like headlamps and food, and
the villagers then sent back messages to
their families that they're okay. The
journey to get to them is super tough
and super dangerous in and of itself.
Teams are using cables to pull
themselves through the narrow tunnels,
some of them less than 2 ft wide. And
the men, they're about 850 ft deep into
the cave. Now, part of the plan is to
pump water out of the cave. And if
successful, they're hoping the men can
finally exit without needing to dive
themselves. Crews are still searching
for two more of their group who are
missing.
As an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic
Republic of Congo continues to grow, the
US government is saying that it's
focused on keeping the disease out of
the US. The administration is making
plans to send Americans who may have
been exposed to the Ebola virus but do
not have symptoms to health facilities
in Kenya. Officials say the
state-of-the-art facility is designed
for Americans who would need to quickly
get out of the DRC and quarantine
without the risks of a lengthy transport
back to the US. The US has its own
specialized network of hospitals that
are highly equipped to treat Ebola
patients that some experts say would be
much better suited to handle the
situation. Critics warn the plan could
be unethical and illegal.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10. A
nearly 30 year-long friendship that
spans continents founded on one common
belief. In 1999, world history teacher
Ronald Sakulski saw a news story about a
woman and her husband planting trees in
the Chinese Mauusu Desert in an effort
to fight its desertification, which
severely threatens an area's
agriculture. At the time, the couple was
making $250 US a year, but putting it
all towards planting trees.
>> I was crying as I watched the news. I
saw her on the TV and I said, "I want to
help her."
>> Moved by their dedication to save their
home, Ronald worked with an organization
in the US and donated $5,000, equivalent
to 20 years of income, to the Chinese
couple's tremendous work. And since the
initial donation, the forest has grown
to over 50,000 trees. Ronald says that
if two regular people from America and
China can create something beautiful,
the whole world can work together.
>> All right, sunshine. We have a couple
shoutouts today and they're coming to
you from some of our arodite
orthographers here at the scripts
national spelling bee.
>> A shout out to John El Golden uh
elementary and day creek intermediate
school. Shout out to Discovery Middle
School in Alexandria, Minnesota.
>> I want to give a shout out to Carnage
Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, North
Carolina. So, I want to shout out my um
two schools which were Peach Free Middle
and Austin Elementary.
>> I want to give a shout out to Loren
Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas.
PS32.
>> Let's go.
>> In Queens, New York.
>> Yeah, let's go.
>> Rise up, baby.
>> Rise up.
>> Rise up. Play that pri music. Not air.
Go out. Make someone smile this weekend.
You never know how or when, but you may
be the light someone needs. You are more
powerful than you know. Rise up. I'm COY
and we are CNN 10.
Heat.