By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Calvin McCarter, the youngest competitor in
a field of 55 youthful geography experts, won the
National Geographic (news - web sites) Bee Wednesday.
McCarter, a 10-year-old Michigan homeschooler, prevailed by knowing that
the Lop Nur
nuclear testing site is in China.
His victory came in a contest marked by a questionable call and an instant
replay that upheld the
initial ruling from host Alex Trebek that Erik Miller of Washington was
late in identifying Indonesia
as the home of popular shadow puppet shows.
A smiling McCarter said afterward he was "a little bit nervous but happy"
with his victory.
McCarter, of Jenison, Mich., collected a $25,000 college scholarship.
The second-place $15,000 scholarship went to Matthew Russell,
14, an eighth-grader at Fretz Middle School in
Bradford, Pa.
Third place and a $10,000 scholarship went to Miller, 14, a homeschooler from Kent, Wash.
>From Colorado to Connecticut, from North Dakota to Naples, Italy,
students in grades four through eight began their
battles of wits on Oct. 15, narrowing the field from 5 million
participants down to the 55 competitors headed for the
national finals.
The final 10 in the competition sponsored by the National Geographic
Society faced off Wednesday morning in the
competition emceed by "Jeopardy" host Trebek.
In addition to the winners, the other seven finalists were:
_Isaiah Hess, a 14-year-old homeschooler from Colorado Springs, Colo.
_Aaron Kiersh, 12, a sixth-grader at Bedford Middle School, Westport, Conn.
_Ryan Felix, 14, who attends eighth grade at the American High
School in Naples, Italy. He represents Defense
Department schools.
_Benjamin Detrixhe, 11, a fifth-grader at Clyde Elementary School, Clyde, Kan.
_Nathaniel Mattison, 13, an eighth-grader at H.C. Crittenden Middle School in Armonk, N.Y.
_Alex Smith, 13, who attends eighth grade at Turrentine Middle School in Burlington, N.C.
_John Rice, a 14-year-old homeschooler from Maddock, N.D.
Last year Kyle Haddad-Fonda, 14, of Shoreline, Wash., triumphed
by knowing that a region of melting and evaporation in
the lower portion of a glacier is called the zone of ablation.
Haddad-Fonda, a student at The Evergreen School, a private school,
won a $25,000 college scholarship. It was his third
try; he also represented Washington in 1999 and 2000.
It's not unusual for state winners to repeat; indeed, 11 of the
55 competitors this year have made the trip before. North
Dakota's Rice was his state's representative each of the last
two years.
Though she didn't make the final 10 this year, the national competition
is a family tradition for Mallika Thampy of St. Louis.
She also represented Missouri in 1999. Her brother Eapen represented
Missouri in the finals in 1997 and 1998. Another
brother, George, was second in the National Geographic Bee in
2000 and won the National Spelling Bee a week later.
Debbie Biehl of Saluda, S.C., also followed two brothers to the
national finals. David represented South Carolina in 1998
and 1999, winning on his second try. His brother Thomas was the
state representative in 2001.