By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A Savannah student is hoping to bring back a championship as she heads to Washington, D.C.
13-year-old Makayla McGuire from Savannah Middle School will participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee that begins today.
McGuire, much like any athlete going into a major competition, says she is very excited to get the chance to head to the nation’s capital to compete
"It's very exciting because not many people get this opportunity, it's kind of a once in a lifetime thing," McGuire tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post
McGuire, who’s a seventh grader in Savannah, says she was drawn to spelling bees for the challenge.
"It was just, like, a good way to challenge myself and I know that my parents were proud of me for participating in them," McGuire says.
And while she does have a desire to win it all, she says she's keeping her expectations for nationals in check
"I'm hoping to at least make it to the quarterfinals or semifinals, but it would be great if I won too," McGuire proudly says.
McGuire won the regional spelling bee back in March, spelling the word corral correctly, and is now headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee
McGuire says she has been practicing hard for nationals with all the tools that she has been given
"They give us a word list we can study and I study that, usually with my family, we do it and we'll like circle the words that I get wrong so we can go over those harder than the words that I don't get wrong," McGuire explains.
McGuire says her preparation for the contest, as well as all other students’ keys to success, is all about studying
"When you're studying it makes it a lot easier to make it farther as long as you're practicing for it," McGuire says. "Like if you don't practice, then you're going to get nowhere."
The 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday streaming on Ion Plus, with the semifinals and championship on the Ion Network.
You can find out more details about the schedule and view all the spellers in the competition HERE.