Lauren Holsapple. an eighth-grade home-schooled student eliminated distractions by closing her eyes when she spelled at the Columbia Missourian Regional Spelling Bee. After spelling "pneumonectomy" correctly she opened her eyes to see and hear the cheers from the audience. She said she finds competing "exhilarating and nauseating at the same time."
Simone Kaplan took advantage of a second opportunity to have her winning moment, complete with a mic drop, at the 78th Annual Miami Herald Spelling Bee in Broward County, Florida. Her winning word was "aioli." The sixth-grader from St. Bonaventure Catholic School has been preparing since her appearance in the national finals in 2017.
Divide and conquer was the strategy for Jay Schoenen, a seventh-grader from Gov. Mifflin Middle School in Reading, Pennsylvania. To prepare, he studied a different language of origin each night. And when he misspelled, his brother offered his own form of motivation by throwing things at him. Jay spelled "dismissive" to become champion at the 38th annual Berks County Spelling Bee.
Eighth-grader Lucas Tardif from AuSable Valley Central School District in Keeseville, New York, topped a tough field to win the Champlain Valley Educational Services Regional Spelling Bee. Twelve neighboring school districts competed in the event, which was sponsored by the Press-Republican.
It took 16 words for Brendan Pawlicki, a sixth-grader at St. Lawrence Elementary School in Utica, Michigan, to spell his way to a return trip to the national finals. He won on the word, “einkorn,” a type of wheat. When standing at the microphone, he would shake his hands, appearing nervous. However, Brendan said afterward it wasn't nerves; the hand shaking was “me being happy.”
In her first year competing in spelling bees, Isabelle Aujla is having quite the rookie season. She won The Roanoke Times’ 45th Annual Regional Spelling Bee in Virginia, by correctly spelling “dignitary” and “geographer.” The seventh-grader at North Cross School was all smiles and nervous energy as she accepted a trophy and an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
When it comes to being a championship speller, Deeya Patel is “echt.” That adjective, which means “genuine” or “authentic,” was the clinching word for the Wilbur S. Pence Middle School student as she won the 2018 Rockingham District Ruritan Regional Spelling Bee in Broadway, Virginia.
Joseph Chambers, an eighth-grader at Quioccasin Middle School in Richmond, Virginia, made the most of his first appearance at the 44th annual Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee. He won it by correctly spelling “braunschweiger.” He said his familiarity with the origin of words — this case, German — was critical to his success.
Kasey Torres, a seventh-grader at Cornerstone Christian School in San Angelo, Texas, will return to the national finals for his fourth try at the title. His knowledge of music-related words was a benefit this year, especially when it came to his winning word: "clarinet." He said the next two months of studying is hard, but he's up for the challenge.
Heritage Middle School student John Courtney won the 2018 Times Free Press Regional Spelling Bee in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by correctly spelling the word "stalactite." There were plenty of emotions in the competition as spellers reacted with delight or dismay to the judge's ruling.