ALL SET FOR CHALLENGE
Perak, Sarawak reps train for competition with help from family members
PERAK representative in the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right national challenge Karrthik Sathiyamoorthy is preparing for the finals at Nexus, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday.
Karrthik, 14, who is the state representative in the secondary school category, had joined SIR before but did not make it this far.
“I was ranked fifth in the state finals when I joined in Year Six. I could not spell ‘gladiatorial’ then,” he said, adding that he was excited to reach the finals this time around. “I will do my best.”
The SMK St Michael student admitted to being nervous in front of large crowds.
He said it worked better for him if there was less hype and expectations.
“I did not tell my friends that I had joined the competition so they won’t get disappointed if I don’t win,” said Karrthik in an interview accompanied by his father R. Sathiyamoorthy, who is training him for the challenge.
Karrthik said he found comfort in eating cheese, and playing badminton and Pokemon Go.
The aspiring scientist said both his older siblings had joined the challenge, so his father wanted him to give it a go, too.
“I don’t have secrets where preparations are concerned. However, I will interact less with people so I can focus,” said the youngest of three siblings.
In Miri, the Sarawak SIR representative in the primary school category, Aisya Amalia Amira Mohd Khairul Anuar, 12, will fly to Kuala Lumpur with her family for the finals.
“I heard about the challenge before, but this is the first time I have participated. I was surprised when I was announced the state champion in the primary school category.
“My sister participated under the secondary school category but she didn’t make it,” she said.
Aisya said she enjoyed watching television, reading and listening to songs.
These activities, she said, boosted her vocabulary.
“If I come across words I don’t know, I will find out their meaning. I will ask my parents or sister what they mean.”
The Year Six pupil from Sekolah Kebangsaan Agama Mis Miri said her older sister would sometimes test her spelling skills.
“She would mention random words and ask me to spell them,” she said.