A talented group of 48 spellers are advancing to the Semifinals this afternoon, and many said they were nervous to move on, but excited to be doing so.
Jianna Marina, speller 130 and a Pennsylvania eighth grader, said she set a low goal for the Bee so she could go above it – and she did. For speller 136, eighth grader Alexis Reel from North Carolina, the experience has been fun. But she’s anticipating it being more challenging.
“The vocabulary round, that’s to me the difficult part,” she said.
The word meaning rounds are also what are making Yash Shelar and Ishan Ramrakhiani nervous.
Ishan, speller 5 and an Indiana eighth grader, said he thinks he’ll succeed if the word meaning questions are based on roots. A 16th-place finisher in last year’s Bee, Ishan said he hopes to make the Finals this year.
Yash, speller 135 and a Missouri eighth grader, said he wants to go further in the competition – and hopes to win. But both said meeting fellow spellers has been one of the best parts of the week for them.
“It’s been really cool, since all the people I know online are here,” Ishan said.
Chris Dominick, an Ohio eighth grader and speller 160, said he’s found the competition “nerve-wracking and a bit rewarding.”
“It’s crazy that I made it this far,” he said. “I feel really lucky, but also proud.”
Chris, who participated in 2021’s virtual Bee, said he appreciates that this one is a vacation – not time at home behind a desk. The in-person version is “a lot more fun,” he said.
Chris has been entertaining the audience with his enthusiasm. Upon getting the word “relievo,” he remarked, “This seems a bit too easy, so I’m guessing it’s probably a trap. I’m just going to get on with it.”
He got it right and said he’s looking forward to his stint on national television this afternoon – where he hopes to continue entertaining, and said he plans to just wing it.
Speller 183, North Carolina sixth grader Riya Anumakonda, said she’s hoping to get Bee host LeVar Burton’s autograph and talk to him about how he makes storytelling, via Reading Rainbow, so much fun.
Riya said she’s nervous but confident, and is looking forward to “spelling more words, solving more puzzles.”
“I’m really excited to be able to represent my school and come this far,” she said.