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Anthony S. Bush/The Topeka Capital-Journal
Jeremy
Gaston | Reporter
TOPEKA—For Overbrook seventh-grader Meredith Foulke, it began
to set in as the field of 45 narrowed to a handful of opponents
in the Topeka Capital-Journal’s 56th annual Regional Spelling
Bee Sunday at Washburn Rural High School.
“By the time it got to five people, I realized it was possible
for me to win it,” the 13-year-old said.
Daniel Jones, of Bethel Christian School in Franklin County, was
the last togo out in the 21st round, where Meredith received the
word “kudzu,” a type of vine.
“I studied it,” she said. “I knew it.”
After correctly spelling the word, Meredith became the first Osage
County student to win the regional bee in recent history, earning
a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 26-28 in Washington,
D.C.
Meredith was stunned.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” she said. “It
was sort of a dream-like state.”
In the regional bee, Meredith continued her method of visually spelling
words out with her finger on her arm, a process she picked up from
watching a national bee on television.
“I saw some people writing it on arms or their cards,”
she said.
Meredith had used it during the Osage County Spelling Bee, and it
helped propel her to the national bee.
“I am a very visual speller,” Meredith said after winning
the county bee. “I have to see it before I spell it.”
Her biggest challenge at the regional bee was spelling “grauple,”
a word she hadn’t seen before.
“I guessed, and used the language of origin,” Meredith
said. “It was German, so that gave me a clue to the ‘au’
and the ‘el.’”
Meredith had familiarized herself with the word list and pronunciation
key and guide for language of origin supplied by Scripps.
“In the week leading up to the regional bee, I was studying
all the time I could,” Meredith said.
She plans to take a more casual approach to the national bee, waiting
until after spring break to really begin preparing.
“They gave me a giant Webster's Third New International Dictionary,”
Meredith said. “I’ll probably flip through it 15 to
20 minutes a day, minimum, and have people quiz me out of it. We’re
on vacation, so I’ll practice a lot more when we get home.”
Meredith is also well read, which also helps her prepare for the
bees.
“I read a lot, so I’m very familiar with lots of words,”
she said, noting she prefers to read fantasy and sci-fi books, “and
some classics.”
Her parents, Gary and Shelly Foulke, let Meredith prepare for the
contest as she sees fit.
“She’s very self motivated,” her father said.
“We didn’t push her – she pushes herself. She
spends a lot of time with the dictionary.”
Meredith hopes to do well in the national bee, aspiring to become
one of the semifinalists, and to have an opportunity to be on national
television. She still plans to take it easy in the two months before
the contest.
“I don’t think I’m going to stress over this one,”
she said. “My goal is to get on ESPN. That would be pretty
cool.” |
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