LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — This year, 245 spellers have earned their spots in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Six spellers from Kentucky will head to Washington, D.C., at the end of the month after winning their respective regional bees.
In March, Lexington 12-year-old Oliviah Braun earned her spot when she won the competition, correctly spelling the winning word, marsupial.
According to Oliviah, the regional bee wasn’t as challenging as she’d anticipated, and she’s prepared for much fiercer competition at the national contest.
“I’m terrified, but also excited because I've really wanted to do this for a long time and it's really cool to be able to actually do it,” said Oliviah.
In addition to the traditional bee spell-off, the bee includes a vocabulary round where spellers select the correct multiple-choice answer to a vocabulary question read by the pronouncer.
When LEX 18 stopped by Oliviah’s house Friday afternoon, she was busy working through a list of words like antennas, Ancien Régime, appaloosa, and Aglaia.
To study up, Oliviah has been using a program on her Ipad, and as she always has, she’s been doing a lot of reading, which she says is a huge help for her vocabulary.
The family had a vacation planned the same week as the bee, according to Oliviah’s mom. They let Oliviah make the call, and after thought and prayer, she decided she wanted to compete.
“We’re most excited about the experience itself and getting to meet all the other spellers. It seems like a little club they get to be a part of, and I'm excited for her to be a part of it,” said Oliviah’s mom, Ashley.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee begins May 28th with a preliminary round, followed by two nights of competition.
All rounds of the competition will be broadcast on ION platforms.
