By Bill Straub
Scripps Howard News Service
Dr. Amador Delamerced admits he was starting to get nervous as his 13-year-old son, Tino, worked his way around the word "pleurisy'' during Thursday's semifinal round of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"Maybe just a little,'' Delamerced said. "I think he was just trying to be sure and go through al the things to rule everything else out.''
Tino, 13, a seventh grader at The Summit Country Day School and the lone Cincinnati-area resident remaining in the tournament, twice asked for a definition of the word -- it means an inflammation of the chest cavity -- and twice sought the word's origin -- originally Greek then French, Latin and English.
At one point Tino asked if the root word was many. It was not.
"He was just trying to rule it out,'' his father said.
Young Tino finally prevailed, which was a relief to his father in more ways than one.
"Both his mother (Victoria) and I are doctors,'' he said. "It would have been sad if he missed on a medical term.''
The semi-final round continues until only 12 spellers remain. Those who survive go the finals of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight, televised live over ABC-TV.
Tino is sponsored by WCPO-TV, channel 9 in Cincinnati. WCPO is owned by the E.W. Scripps Co., which sponsors the Spelling Bee. There were 36 spellers remaining, including Tino, after the first semi-final round.
