Simone Kaplan, Speller 60 and a Florida sixth grader, just spelled "draegerman" correctly to stay in the competition.
It's one of a crew of miners trained in underground emergency and rescue work.
As much as she likes spelling, Simone said she gets a lot more than that out of attending the Bee.
“It's about making friends and learning the beauty of the English language,” she said.
Simone said when she's on stage, she feels “like taffy in a taffy pull.” (A phrase, she said, she borrowed from a Scripps National Spelling Bee judge.)
“Now I'm just relieved,” she said of getting to the finals. “I feel like if I can get here, that's amazing.”
Simone tied for 189th place last year.
