Palatine woman nails 'stroganoff' to win senior bee

Denise Woodward spent no time boning up on big words in anticipation of Tuesday's senior spelling bee.

Unlike many of the participants who spent hours honing their vocabulary, the 57-year-old Palatine woman found out about the competition only Monday, after reading a blurb in the Daily Herald.

"It's my birthday tomorrow, and I decided I wanted to do something a little different," she said. "I didn't have time to practice."

Her winning word was "stroganoff." Woodward also correctly spelled "Tasmanian" after runner-up Pat Hoesel of Roselle put a "z" in it.

"You just get it in your head one way, and that's what happened," said Hoesel, a former newspaper editor.

Hoesel was the most entertaining speller to watch. Clearly the most nervous of the bunch, she would clasp her hands in front of her abdomen and twiddle her thumbs in time with her spelling cadence. She said she was unaware of her movements.

"You have to do something to focus on the word as it comes out," she said.

Woodward will now move on to the regional competition in Round Lake, and if she wins there it's a free trip to August's championship at the state fair in Springfield.

Tuesday's event was held at Bloomingdale Horizons senior living center and sponsored by state Sen. Carole Pankau and state Rep. Franco Coladipietro. The two legislators handed out state blue books to all 10 participants. A $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble book store went to Woodward for her win.

"This is just a fun event," said Pam Ratmeyer, Pankau's legislative aide. "It keeps seniors' minds working and participating in social events."

The event was not without controversy, however. Third-place finisher Richard Muegge, a 67-year-old former English teacher from Bloomingdale, was eliminated after misspelling "tardigrade." The judge mispronounced the word, but since Muegge added a "t" instead of the first "d" in the word, he was still eliminated.

Muegge -- the lone male contestant -- didn't seem too shaken up by the decision.

"I did feel a certain pressure representing my gender up there," he said. "But I guess it's like you remember in grade school that the girls were always the better spellers."

Woodward said there's no special trick to spelling well. She said she's an avid reader and that helps the most.

"You can either spell or you can't," she said. "I don't consider it a talent, it's a trait."