We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
On March 22, more than 50 of Montana's top spellers gathered in the Strand Union Building's Ballroom A at Montana State University in Bozeman for the 60th Annual Treasure State Spelling Bee. When all the spell-downs and spell-offs were complete, Cynnloch Gibson, an eighth grader at Chinook Junior High School, had emerged as the State's third place winner.
This was the second time Gibson had competed in the Treasure State Spelling Bee. Having attended when he was in the fifth grade, the now thirteen-year-old son of Hugo (aka Mike) and Danelle Gibson set a goal to improve with this showing. So, he was disappointed with his unsuccessful spelling of the word bannock. Inserting an a instead of an o in the ending of that word prevented his chance for second place.
In securing his placing, Gibson competed in a five-round spell off. The word he successfully spelled to capture third position was pancetta.
With such words as bannock and pancetta, anyone listening in may have wondered whether an episode of Food Network was airing. After all, bannock is a traditional Scottish or Indigenous bread. This no-yeast quick break recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients and can even be prepared in a cast iron skillet over a campfire.
Another cuisine item, pancetta is a type of Italian cured pork belly. Similar to bacon but typically unsmoked and often seasoned with salt and spices, pancetta is used in various dishes like pasta carbonara or even bread. Incorporating pancetta into the dough or using it as a topping produces a savory flavor.
About his son's win, the elder Gibson stated, "We're really proud of him. This is just icing on the cake."
