Twenty-one spellers clamored with nervous excitement offstage before the beginning of The Blade’s Northwest Ohio Championship Regional Spelling Bee.
Sponsored by Dave White Chevrolet and the NW Ohio Chevrolet Dealers, the contest featured spellers who emerged from preliminary rounds at 97 schools in Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Lucas, Paulding, Sandusky, Van Wert, Williams, and Wood counties.
As they took the stage at the Owens Community College’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts in Perrysburg on Saturday morning, they were each hoping to gain a spot at The Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington.
“I'm nervous, but I think I have a pretty good chance of winning,” Zacharia Rashid, 14, from Ottawa Hills, said in the moments preceding contestants taking their places in front of family and friends.
Study preparation gave way to nerves.
“I'm actually excited to be here because I already met some friends,” Fahed Yehya, 13, of Springfield Middle School, said. “I just want everyone to have a good time.”
Each student introduced themselves and began the competition by spelling their given word from this year’s pronouncer, Jason Kucsma, the executive director of Toledo Lucas County Library.
“You know, I'm trying to make sure that this is a stress-free and enjoyable Bee as possible for these kids,” Mr. Kucsma said before the competition began.
Numbered 1 to 23 with two absent, the students made their way on stage, introducing themselves, and then letting their spelling prowess speak for itself.
“Stencil” was the first word of this year’s spelling bee, correctly dictated by Charlotte White, from Arlington Local Elementary School, and before long, participants were whittled down round after round.
Young Yehya shared a sportsmanly gesture after hearing the ominous ding of the judges’ bell, signaling an incorrectly spelled word.
“Thank you for having me,” he said. And before stepping off stage he completed the thought, “Good luck to everyone.”
Returning to judge the event were Mike Pearson, the assisting managing editor of The Blade, and Diana Bush, the executive director of Read for Literacy, who chimed in with their shared bell leaving only two boys and two girls by the sixth round.
Simpatico was a curve ball to the fourth place Bronson Heck, from St. Michael School, who was followed shortly by Kayle Houdeshell, of Arlington Local Junior High School, who switched an “i” for the first “u” in “fatuously.”
With the two boys knocked out of the running the championship featured Sanjana Indupuru, 13, of Liberty-Benton Middle School, and the returning champion of The Blade Spelling Bee, Lainey Gardner, 14, of Crestview Middle School.
Both girls spelled a round of words correctly before young Gardner fumbled, adding an extra “e” to “laity.”
In a tense moment, young Indupuru answered with her own misspelled word, “gubernatorial,” which allowed the spelling battle to wage on.
“It was nerve racking,” young Gardner said.
“I was glad that I got a second chance.”
Back and forth the two spelled. Young Indupuru quickly and confidently emphasized each letter spelled, while young Gardner carefully put together the words until young Indupuru was met with a phonetical nightmare of a word, “fecund” (fe-kənd).
Understandably spelling the word as “feckoned” allowed young Gardner to pull ahead, correctly spell the winning word “juxtapose” without difficulty.
“I did not even think I would make it this far actually,” young Indupuru said.
Even though she was disappointed about not winning, the runner-up was in good spirits.
“This was an excellent chance for me,” she said. “I'm extremely glad that I was able to do this.”
Young Gardner took the first place trophy and answered questions from the media about her accomplishment while surrounded by her family.
“We just read the definition, we practice the pronunciations and she's increasingly asking for the etymology,” Rachel Gardner, 36, of Van Wert, Ohio, said about the study sessions she facilitated with her daughter leading up to this year’s spelling bee.
“I'm excited for her and I'm proud of her hard work,” she said.
The focused academic expressed her appreciation for having won the Bee last year, and the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
These accomplishments did bring extra weight the second time around.
“I felt more pressure than last time, but once we got into the rhythm of spelling it was easier,” young Gardner said.
Last year’s national spelling bee was a good experience, and she relishes her second shot at it this year.
“I'm pretty competitive,” she said. “So it's always fun to keep going.”
First Published March 25, 2023, 8:52 p.m.
