Speller 258, Blake Bouwman, just wanted to do the best he could do in his first Bee.
Michigan eighth grader got the word "posaune," a trombone. He spelled it correctly.
"I'm feeling happy I'm able to move on to the finals," Blake said Wednesday. "It's pretty intimidating to be with a bunch of really good spellers who were here multiple times. I'm going to do my best."
Blake said he didn't know what to expect, but he was feeling OK.
In addition to spelling, Blake runs cross country and enjoys watching Marvel movies.