Deep breaths

Rohan Sachdev, speller 173, said he planned to take lots of deep breaths to prepare for the semifinals.

Rohan, a sixth grader, is in his first bee week. He’s been competing since second grade, and lost four times in a row before getting here.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I get to be on the stage. I’m going to get really hard words.”

Rohan said he planned to “work really hard” to make the finals – whether this year, or in the future. Going into the semifinals, Rohan was tied for 33rd place. He misspelled “nictitate” and was eliminated.