27 More Days Until Spellers Arrive!

Bee Week is almost here, and 278 spellers will compete for the championship. 

Here are some of the statistics according to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website.

• 136 boys and 142 girls
• One six-year-old (the youngest ever in Bee history), two eight-year-olds, one nine-year-old, thirteen 10-year-olds, 26 eleven-year-olds, 69 twelve-year-olds, 96 thirteen-year-olds, 67 fourteen-year-olds, and three fifteen-year-olds. The thirteen-year-olds always seem to have the highest number.
• One second grader, two third graders, three fourth graders, 24 fifth graders, 43 sixth graders, 94 seventh graders, 111 eighth graders. The eighth graders have the highest number.
• Most spellers go to public schools (193 spellers), next are private schools (39 spellers), then home (28 spellers), after are parochial schools (16 spellers), and charter schools (2 spellers). If my friend made it to the National Spelling Bee, there would have been three spellers from charter schools. 

Words that May Help at Nationals

It is important to review Spell It! and the Sponsor Bee Guides, because these will be helpful in Rounds 2 and 3.

In Rounds 4 and above, words will come from Webster's Third New International Dictionary Unabridged (2002). For the last few years, it seems as if words in these rounds come back four years or more after using them, but usually in a lower round. 

These words may be used this year:

huapango

opificer

oxylophytic

secernent

fauchard

reblochon 

thymele

ornithorhynchous

It is also very helpful to study the Consolidated Word List. This list hasn't been published since 2004. Please look up the list and study it! 

More Words:

randori

ichthyoid

chastushka

tzigane

szomolnokite

veszelyite

Tacitean

caixinha

katzenjammer

trichotillomania

marmennill

ethnarch

nicoise

Talavera

Meissen

Percheron

sunglo

soubise

It is also important to read. Right now, I am reading Pride and Prejudice, and the word panegyric is in the novel. Panegyric was used in Round 4 at the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Reading pays off! I also suggest reading Les Miserables, even if most of the words are French, but words such as oriflamme, devant, nisus, reredos, and many other words are in this in-depth but amazing novel.

32 More Days Until Spellers Arrive in D.C.!

One of my teachers once said, "Due dates are closer than they appear!", and since the National Spelling Bee ended last year, I knew it would come quickly. Now it is only almost a month away! If there is anything you want me to post about, please comment or email me at spellingchamp135@gmail.com. 

Some Tips:

• Before going on stage, do not absorb lists of words into your head that you will most likely not receive, especially during the Round 1 Test, Semifinals, and Championship Finals.
• Do not think about the bell when you are spelling a word, because if you think about it, you will be worried and most likely misspell your word.
• Think of all the possible spellings for the word you receive.
• If you do not know a word, use your knowledge of etymology patterns to figure out the spelling (this includes roots and combining forms).
• Block out the entire audience when you are spelling your word.
• Ask proper questions and think the entire time - you only have two minutes and thirty seconds to spell your word.

After my spelling bee career was over, there was a lot that I had moved onto other things such as high school, the Science Fair, returning to theater (professional and amateur), babysitting, leadership skills, music and audio recordings, filmography, return to dance, and so much more! During my Bee years I had choir, flute, other musical instruments, sports, and so much more, but after all that time, more activities were added, and I have had to keep a 4.0 GPA, or else the consequences would be severe. Think about what you will do after your Bee years, because life is not all about the Spelling Bee.

I thought everything would change after my spelling bee career, but very little changed. I have been more dedicated to my school studies more than ever, and I have been studying words still, even if it is no longer for the National Spelling Bee. There are many esoteric words I have to learn in my Biology, Math, English, Geography/Ancient Civilizations, and other classes. 

My sister, friends, and one of my cousins have been studying for the Bee, and one of these years I hope at least one of them will make it to the National Spelling Bee and possibly take the championship. 

I wish all spellers the best of luck and may you all do well!

34 More Days Until Spellers Arrive in D.C.!

The 85th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is almost here! 278 spellers will be competing for the championship. The competition is not against the other spellers, but it is against the dictionary. Keep that in mind, because the spelling bee is not just about spelling. There is so much to do, such as go on tours, make and hang out with friends, and so much more

This year, there are two 5-peats, four 4-peats, fourteen 3-peats, and fifty-two 2-peats.

More Statistics of the Bee:
http://spellingbee.com/statistics

Vanya Shivashankar, the sister of the 2009 National Spelling Bee Champion, Kavya Shivashankar, will be returning to nationals! http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/92

The youngest speller this year and in the history of the Bee is Lori Anne Madison (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/269). When I watched an interview of her, I was amazed at the way she spoke and her ability to spell these words at a very young age. If she does not win before eighth grade, she may possibly be a 7-peat.

Three spellers this year were also championship finalists last year:
Nabeel Rahman (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/155),
Arvind Mahankali (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/162),
and Samuel Estep (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/268).
Arvind is the highest returning finisher this year (he tied for third last year).

There have not been any five-peats since Matthew Evans and Tia Thomas in 2008.
Rahul Malayappan (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/31)
and Nicholas Rushlow (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/193)
are the two five-peats. Last year, Nicholas tied for 14th, and he is a contender for the championship this year.

Utah has two spellers returning the the National Spelling Bee for the second time. This has not happened since 2006-2007.
Jared Ward (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/252)
Vismaya Kharkar (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/254)
The other speller from Utah joining them this year is
Sophie Choate (http://public.spellingbee.com/public/spellers/2012/253)
Spellers from Sophie's area of Utah seem to have backgrounds of languages, visiting other countries, etc. According to her profile, she has been on research trips to several countries, and she studies Italian. Last year, Anna Marie-Sprenger had backgrounds of several languages, and she advanced to semifinals. Let's see if it happens again this year.

Good luck to all of the spellers, and I hope you all do your best!

Spell with Your Dream!
Spell with Your Heart!
Spell with Your Love!

Good Luck at the National Spelling Bee, Vismaya!

About a month ago, Vismaya Kharkar won the Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. Last year at nationals she tied for forty-second unfortunately not advancing to semifinals. This year, she has another chance to do better than last year. There is a possibility that she may win this year or next year, and if she does, she will be Utah's first champion to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Vismaya did amazing her first two years, placing ninth in 2009 and sixth in 2010. In 2011, she prevailed and finally won the Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee (her winning word was infarction). This year, her winning word was aberrant (straying from the right, or normal way).

I wish her and her fellow Utahns (Jared Ward and Sophie Choate) the best of luck! Jared Ward is also returning to nationals for the second time!

http://www.midvalejournal.com/pages/full_story/10462/Second-time-regional-spelling-bee-winner-returns-to-D.C./

53 More Days! - It is Almost Time!/Memories

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is almost here! There are 53 more days until most spellers arrive in Washington, D.C. (May 27). There are so many spellers returning this year, including several five-peats and four-peats.

This year also includes six-year-old Lori Madison, the youngest speller to ever make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. There is a possibility that she may be the first seven-peat at the Bee if she does not win before that. 

The spellers from Utah this year:

Speller          Sponsor
Jared Ward  (Southeast Education Service Center, Price, Utah)   Two-peat
Sophie Choate (Daily Herald, Provo, Utah)
Vismaya Kharkar (The Valley Journals, Salt Lake City)   Two-peat

Jared Ward
http://www.etv10news.com/component/k2/item/1921-7th-grader-repeats-as-regional-spelling-bee-champion

Sophie Choate
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/spelling-bee-winner-takes-prize-with-mordacious/article_e680f670-5bda-5bc2-9467-aa9e321a6037.html

There is no article for Vismaya Kharkar yet, but I learned it from a friend.

Vismaya is from my area, and she did amazing at nationals last year, even if she did not advance to the semifinals. The Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee winning word from last year was: infarction. Her Rounds 2 and 3 words were maillot and affianced. She first competed as a fourth grader in 2009 placing ninth, next was 2010 when she placed sixth, but she pushed hard in 2011 to make it to nationals for her first time. She's now returning to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Is there a possibility that she may win in this year or next year? Utah has never had a champion at the National Spelling Bee. Go Vismaya!

I'm pretty sure at least one speller from Utah, if not all three, will make it to semifinals. Utah has not had a two-peat at nationals since 2006-2007 (Kunal Sah), but there are 2 two-peats this year! Go Utah!

Last year, only one of the four spellers from Utah made it to Semifinals: Anna-Marie Sprenger. When I read the article about her win, I was impressed that she had hardly studied, but she had a background knowledge of many languages. She misspelled privatim as privatum. Privatum is an actual word in Latin, but it is not in Webster's Third. It just has a similar meaning and pronunciation as privatim. You may have heard the term ius privatum, which means "private law". Anna-Marie seemed so confident with her spelling, but Utah is still proud of her.

My sister first competed as a fourth grader in a homeschool bee with the K12 program, and she placed fourth her first year. The speller who won her Bee really impressed me, even if he was out in the first round last year. His mother told me that he knew every word on that list, but struggled with the word he misspelled (I believe it was semantics). In 2012, I don't remember what she placed, because there were hundreds of students in her school bee. At least she has three years left.

My Spelling Bee Career is a very long story that it is hard to put everything into detail, especially my final year. To read about important parts of my career in the bee, please go under Pages and click on Spelling Bee Career. My spelling bee goal now is to help other spellers reach their goals through this blog and a spelling bee club I have been working on. Right now, I only have spellers that I see and talk to often, but in the future, other spellers from the Salt Lake Valley and around are welcome to attend. If you are not from the area, I will be posting videos on this blog of the sessions, or I will make a website and post them there.

Good luck to all the spellers, and I will be watching!

Looking Back to My Bee Years/Some Advice to Spellers

My love words and spelling began when I was two while watching Sesame Street. At that age, I had no idea what a spelling bee was. When I got to first grade, there was a spelling bee contest, and I won it. That was when I learned about Spellbound and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. While watching Spellbound back in 2004, I knew that I wanted to be at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

I began to study a lot, and in 2005, I watched the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the first time ever. The words amazed me and so did the spellers. Anurag Kashyap, Aliya Deri, and Samir Patel were the last three spellers standing. All three amazed me, including Samir Patel. I looked up to him in the 2006-2007 Bees, and I was disappointed when he lost. 

During my final year of the Bee, I remember being encouraged by friends, family, and many others, but after a mispronunciation and ambiguous answers to the word tentacled (it was pronounced tin-tuh-cuhled), I was disappointed. I had studied so hard for years without missing one day of studying. A few months later, I realized that some of the best spellers don't win the National Spelling Bee, and this includes many spellers that I looked up to over the years (Tia Thomas, Samir Patel, Matthew Evans, Tim Ruiter, Neetu Chandak, Laura Newcombe, and so much more).

I began planning a spelling bee club, and right now, I have a few spellers.

During one of my advanced math classes over the summer, I realized that my spelling bee studies really helped with my studying out of spelling. When I began high school, I felt very dedicated to it, and I still do. The spelling bee changed the course of my life.

• Study a lot
• Be dedicated
• If you don't win the National Spelling Bee, be happy with your placement.
• Remain calm on stage.
• Before competing, do something other than spelling (reading, playing video games, talk with friends, etc.)
• Always do your best!

Good luck spellers!