Iowa teen wins national texting contest

NEW YORK, N.Y., June 17 (UPI) -- An Iowa teenager with extraordinarily quick thumbs has beaten 250,000 competitors to win the top prize in a texting competition in New York.

Kate Moore, 15, of Des Moines won the $50,000 grand prize at the L.G. National Texting Championship, which had its final rounds Monday and Tuesday.

The competition tested speed, accuracy, texting know-how and acronyms.

In one round, contestants had to navigate an obstacle course while texting.

Kate went thumb-to-thumb with Dynda Morgan, 14, of Savannah, Ga., in a final three-round showdown that measured speed in texting lengthy messages without errors.

The third, and tie-breaking, round had both teens rushing to text, "Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy…MY oh MY, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin' my way…Zippity Do Dah Zippity Aay! WondeRful Feeling Wonderful day!"

In a text interview, CNN asked Kate, "Do ur thumbs hurt?"

"Hahah not at all! Ud b surprised they don't get stressed out," Kate replied.

Kate's mother Claire said she appreciates always being able to contact her daughter, who typically sends 500 texts a day.