Arkansas’ 3 spellers breeze through first day at national bee
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Three Arkansas students survived their first day at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Tuesday, correctly spelling the words they were given.
They’ll be back for round three today.
Twelve-year-old Pavani Chittemsetty of Bentonville correctly spelled naumachia — “An ancient Roman spectacle representing a naval battle.”
Dasha Blalock of Jonesboro and Weston Sills of Farmington also advanced.
Dasha, 12, wasn’t flustered by bibliopegy — “The art of binding books.”
Weston, 13, wasn’t tripped up by degringolade — “a rapid decline or deterioration.”
The students also took a multiple-choice spelling test that will be used to further narrow the field if more than 50 contestants survive today’s round.
The top spellers will advance to the finals, which are broadcast live Thursday on ESPN.
This is the national bee’s 91st year.
The spell-off has been held
in recent years at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, a complex on the banks of the Potomac River 10 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented, along with eight foreign nations and a variety of U.S. territories and possessions.
Only students in eighth grade or below are eligible. Contestants’ ages this year range from 8-15.
The winner will receive $42,500, a trophy, trips to New York City and Hollywood, and a reference library, bee officials said.
Ananya Vinay of Fresno, Calif., won last year’s contest. Justin Tyler Carroll of Wynne claimed the national title in 1995, after winning a spelling bee sponsored by the Commercial Appeal in Memphis. Although there are a few statewide spelling bees, most participants over the years have qualified by winning regional contests.
Ohio, for example, sends 18 contestants, according to bee communications director Valerie Miller.
Pavani, a two-time state champion, qualified for the contest by winning this year’s Arkansas State Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
On Tuesday, it took her less than 30 seconds to hear her word, request its definition, inquire about its origins, ask about alternative pronunciations and then spell it.
“N-A-U-M-A-C-H-I-A,” she said.
“Correct,” a judge replied, and the audience applauded as she returned to her seat.
Dasha and Weston earned spots on the stage by entering RSVBee, a new program that gives spellers an alternate route to the national competition.
RSVBee participants must win their school spelling bee, be invited to participate and pay a $750 fee. Former national finalists are also allowed to enter.
As a result of RSVBee, there were 516 spellers who qualified this year. That’s up from 291 in 2017.
All three Arkansas spellers were in the first group that took the stage Tuesday morning. Of the 104 students on the first panel, 97 got their words right.
Tuesday’s words were taken from a list of 600 that the contestants were given ahead of time. Today’s words will come from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary. Anything in the book is fair game.
Pavani, who attends Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville, is the daughter of Murali Chittemsetty and Dhana Varikunta.
Tuesday’s round, she said, was not intimidating.
“I studied every single word on the list, and I knew I was confident that I’d get it right. I wasn’t too nervous,” she said.
Dasha, a sixth-grader at the Visual & Performing Arts Magnet School in Jonesboro, didn’t have any jitters either.
“When I heard [bibliopegy], I was very relieved to know that I knew that word,” she said. “I didn’t have to worry about getting it wrong.”
Dasha, the daughter of Tim and Mary Ann Blalock, came prepared.
“I study every chance that I get,” she added.
The winner of the Craighead County spelling competition, she finished third at this year’s state spelling bee.
Weston, an eighth-grader at Randall G. Lynch Middle School in Farmington, said he wasn’t blindsided by his word; he’d pored over the list, so he knew it.
Weston, the son of Andy and Jocelyn Sills, said he enjoys spelling.
“I just think it’s fun to learn about the words and their definitions,” he added.
The winner of last year’s Washington County Spelling Bee, this was Weston’s first trip to the Washington, D.C., area. To raise money for the journey, he helped design and sell a bee-themed T-shirt. Community members and friends purchased dozens of them.
He planned to spend the rest of Tuesday reviewing spelling words — and visiting museums.