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CHEYENNE – By winning the National Senior Spelling Bee Saturday, Dave Riddle claimed his third senior spelling bee victory in as many months.

After a competition so fierce that it required a spell-off for second place, Riddle, a 52-year-old attorney from Pacific Grove, Calif., outlasted 16 grueling rounds of oral spelling during the finals of the 2005 National Senior Spelling Bee, held at the AARP Wyoming office in Cheyenne, Wyo.

In the final round, Riddle correctly spelled “ptosis,” which means a sagging or prolapse of an organ or another body part, while the remaining two finalists both missed their words that round, “passementeri.” and “cappelletti.”  The tie for second place was broken after LaRae Lawson, 61, of Stockton, Calif., missed “ctenophore” and Bill Long, 53, of Salem, Ore., correctly spelled “logorrhea.”

“Ctenophore” means marine animals having biradial symmetry and “logorrhea” refers to excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness.

After two hours of oral spelling, a field of 16 finalists narrowed to five people:  Riddle, Lawson, Long, and Lenore Collins, 66, of Mentor, Ohio, and Patricia Hanson, 71, of Apple Valley, Calif.

The final five dueled for just 15 minutes before Collins and Hanson were eliminated, pitting two attorneys – Riddle and Long – against Lawson, a proofreader and former medical transcriptionist.

Riddle emerged as champion from an original field of 21 competitors from seven states, including the current Pennsylvania state senior champion and a veteran of the 1965 Scripps National Spelling Bee.  Riddle won $150, Long, $50 and a $50 savings bond, and Lawson, $25.

This year’s competitors, all 50 or older, traveled about 27,000 collective miles, round trip, to be part of the Bee. 

The National Senior Spelling Bee is hosted by AARP Wyoming, AARP Chapter 310, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle newspaper, and WyomingNetwork, Inc. The bee was created in 1995 by AARP chapter members in Cheyenne to challenge others to keep their minds active while having fun.

Registration is open for the 2006 National Senior Spelling Bee, June 17, 2006 in Cheyenne.  Register here.