Competition Jerrod Struthers taking part in TV spelling show that could air next spring

C5

ANDREW MCGILLIGAN
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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Noel Chenier/Telegraph-Journal

Jerrod Struthers will compete in a regional spell down in Halifax today as he attempts to advance to the semifinals of the ‘Canada’s Super Speller’ TV game show.

QUISPAMSIS - J-E-R-R-O-D S-T-R-U-T-H-E-R-S.

That's how you spell the name of New Brunswick's next television star.

The 11-year-old Quispamsis native will be one of 48 children across the country competing to be the winner of Canada's Super Speller, a new TV spelling game on CBC.

Struthers will compete in a regional spell down in Halifax today against three other New Brunswickers. If he wins, Struthers will advance to the semi-finals to be held at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., Oct. 4-11.

His journey to be the country's best speller began with urging from his mother Laura.

"My mom came home one day and told me about a competition on the Internet and I decided to go into it," Struthers said.

The website, www.superspellers.com, had people complete a spelling game, with the best times earning people a spot in local qualifiers. Cheryl Hassen, executive producer of the show, said those involved with the project were surprised by the online response.

"We really didn't know what to expect, but there (were) 45,000 games played so it was an extraordinary figure right off the top," Hassen said. "Usually the airing of a show is the best promotion because it's hard to garner excitement when it hasn't gone to air."

For Struthers, a spelling game was a natural fit because he recently finished third in a school competition. After his online qualifier, he travelled to Moncton and was one of the top four spellers from the province advancing to the regional competition in Halifax.

"In Moncton, we were in a room and they ask you a bunch of words and you had to spell them," Struthers said. "Then we had a speed round where you had to spell as fast as possible and see how may words you got in 45 seconds.

"It was a lot harder than the school one."

As for his shot at making the finals and getting one step closer to the top prize of a $20,000 RESP, a laptop computer and a unique pewter trophy designed by Valerie Stone, Struthers isn't fazed.

"It's pretty exciting, I guess," he said.

While watching kids spell doesn't seem like the most compelling type of television, Hassen said the show is a mix of competition and a documentary.

"The documentary element is a huge part of it," Hassen said. "We will be focusing on character and who these kids are. It helps viewers pick people to get behind and understand what they're motivation is."

The final product will consist of six one-hour episodes airing on the CBC, but an exact date has not been determined.

Hassen said she's anticipating a spring airing, with the show running in prime time.