The Scripps National Spelling Bee begins Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Madeline Stevens, an eighth-grader at Batesville Middle School, won the Northern Kentucky, Southwest Indiana Regional Bee and will compete starting this Tuesday.
She's been trying to get to the national bee since the fourth grade.
Her dream is now reality – and now, there's a new dream.
Madeline may make the same lantern as all the other kids at Batesville Middle School, but she is quite an individual.
And so it came as no shock to her friends that Madeline – a straight "A" student – would win her way into the National Spelling Bee.
"I'm very excited for her,” said Even though she doesn't think she's gonna win, I have faith in her,” said India Vondra, Madeline's friend.
In February, Madeline walked away with a win at the Regional Bee in Cincinnati – and has been studying ever since.
She and her dad compete in mini-spelling bees at home .
"Gastrostege.” “G-a-s-t-r-o-s-t-e-g-e.” “Gastrostege. That's correct."It was her dream since fourth grade to reach the National Bee. Now she only dares to dream of winning it all.
"When I'm alone, sometimes I just think about it and I kinda think, 'Maybe I can win this,’" said Madeline.
And yes, she's a little nervous – mostly about French words which trip her up – and, strangely, this word:
""Rabelasian. I'm worried when I'm nervous that Im gonna forget how to spell that one," she said.
“How do you spell it?" "R-a-b-e-l-a-i-s-i-a-n."Her family?
They say they don't care how well she does. They're proud already.
"I'm just excited for her,” said Carolyn Dube, Madeline’s mother. “It 's just an exciting opportunity. Not many kids get to do this and how neat that she gets to be a part of it."
Madeline hopes to have fun in “D.C.” this week. And this witty, funny young lady shared this advice to aspiring spellers.
"I'd like to tell people you don't have to be a nerd to do this, but it does help,” she said.
You can watch the Scripps Spelling Bee preliminaries beginning this Wednesday on ESPN 360.com at 1:15 p.m. That’s an Internet-only broadcast.
The semi-finals will be on ESPN starting this Thursday at 10 a.m.
The finals can be seen this Thursday night on Channel 9 and ABC starting at 8 p.m.
