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Can you spell n-a-t-i-o-n-a-l?
Local spelling champions take on wider stage
Friday, May 29, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Jazmine Ashley Smith, 14, of Hughesville, an eighth-grader at John Hanson Middle School, contemplates her word during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this week
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Jazmine Ashleigh Smith, Zachary Johnson and Jacqueline Smedley are not only excellent spellers, they are now national stars — at least to those close to them and to their communities.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the three Southern Maryland middle school students competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Though none of the three scored high enough to make it to the semifinals, they were in the competition through the third round of the preliminaries, which were Webcast on ESPN360.com on Wednesday.
"My goal was just to get to ESPN and I'm glad I got that far," said Jacqueline, 12, of California, who is in seventh grade at St. John's Catholic School. Her two words in the second and third round respectively were calzone and butadiene, both of which she spelled correctly.
"When I heard my word was calzone I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I've never spelled that word before,'" Jacqueline said.
"She's more of a spaghetti person," laughed her mom, Debbie Smedley.
Thirteen-year-old Zachary of Huntingtown felt that he got lucky with his two words: scholar and callidity.
"There's a few in that round three list … and I didn't know a few of them and I was so scared I'd get one of those words but I didn't and I was happy," said the Plum Point Middle School eighth-grader.
He said that if he were to make the semifinals, "I would probably be nervous because the words would just get harder."
In rounds one through three each speller, who had already won a countywide spelling bee, could earn a maximum of 31 points: 25 points on the round one computer test, three points for a correct spelling in the second round and three points for a correct spelling in the third round. Program Director Paige Kimble said that the 41 of 293 spellers who advanced to the semifinals had all earned at least 28 points.
John Hanson Middle School eighth-grader Jazmine, 14, of Hughesville said that despite missing her two words, winnable and Savoyard, she thought she did well on the computer test.
"It's not very difficult … I studied a lot and worked on my words," she said.
Jazmine's mother, Renay Taylor, said that she admired her daughter's work ethic and was very proud.
"She's been studying a lot but she hasn't been nervous. Typical Jazmine — she likes to spell and she loves to read. This is one of her things," Taylor said.
Zachary's mom, Ailsa Johnson, said that she was grateful to the spelling bee for giving each speller a chance to be in the spotlight.
"It's nice that they get to be on stage twice [for rounds two and three], even if it takes longer," Johnson said, adding that as a mom, "it's a little nerve racking seeing them up there."
Debbie Smedley said that she treated Jacqueline to some precontest "power shopping" to ease her nerves.
All three students said that the competition itself was even more exciting than they thought it would be, and Zachary said that many of his peers surprised him.
"It was kind of what we expected but a lot of people are friendlier than I thought they'd be … instead of being introverted," he said.
Special guests, Kimble said, included Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden (D), and Olympic gymnast and recent "Dancing With the Stars" winner Shawn Johnson. All spellers are invited to an awards banquet and farewell party today.
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