Under the bright lights, 245 spellers will take the stage this week at National Harbor, near Washington, D.C., for the 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"I liked how it was like physical and you had to focus a lot," Oviya said of her interest in tae kwon do. "I actually picked it up back in the 7th grade. My dad used to be a saxophone player," Ethan said."My great-grandfather also played the saxophone. So, I just carried the traits, I guess, and I got pretty good at it."
"Oh my gosh! I've won and I'm getting to go to the Scripps National Spelling Bee!" he recalled."It's really awesome. I can't wait to go out there and spell my best."The spelling bee begins in earnest Tuesday, with all 245 competitors getting their chance to spell on stage during the preliminary round.