Scripps Howard News photo / Matt Nelson
Stephen Landry, one of the youngest in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, takes his turn on the stage Wednesday.
By Thomas Hargrove
Special to the Journal
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Rhode Island state spelling champion Stephen Landry spelled his first two words correctly on national television Wednesday only to be eliminated by the written exam in the 87th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The 10-year-old from North Kingstown was in good company, since only 41 of the original 281 kids advanced to the semifinals starting Thursday afternoon. The finals will be broadcast on ESPN starting at 8 Thursday.
"He set a pretty high goal. He really wanted to get to the semifinals," said Stephen's father, Mark Landry, an electrical engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Newport.
Stephen hugged his parents and declined comment after the results of the written test, administered Monday, were announced. He was one of the youngest contenders since there were eight 10-year-olds and one 8-year-old in the competition. The rest are 11 to 14 years old.