Spelling Wizards

Today I watched the annual National Spelling Bee contest that was broadcast live on ESPN. I found it quite exciting with a lot of human drama. If you make one spelling mistake, you are out of the competition (It is the most extreme form of ‘sudden death’ I have witnessed in a competition). For many, all the years of hard work is over at the moment of elimination, as the age limit of the Spelling Bee competitions is fourteen. Some contestants took their elimination gamely, while others did their best to hide their disappointment. The reactions of the parents were also interesting to observe.
What impressed me most was the dominance of children of Indian origin in that prestigious event. The top four placements were all Indian children, except for the third place winner (who is half Indian!). Another remarkable thing was that the Indian students appeared to easily rattle off spellings from memory, while other contestants looked to be in pain, and required many clarifications before giving their answer. I do not think that Indians have any latent gift for spelling. Their children are simply demonstrating their ability to stay focused, and study hard for months and months preparing for a competition. They get encouragement and coaching from their parents, who are well educated (mostly scientists and teachers). This pattern of behavior is commonly attributed to the academic achievements of Asian children. (Surprisingly there were hardly any Chinese or Korean children in the final round of the competition. I wonder if this has anything to do with the language difficulty many of their parents have).
By the way, this attribute of dedication and focus to be best in a field is not unique to Asians. The world-class musicians, champion sportsmen, ballerinas etc., all have a similar story to tell – the story of their hard work and parents who sacrificed a lot for their success!