SPELLING

SPELLING

D.C. bee
fires up
Vindy
winner The sixth-grader from Poland said he isn’t nervous and is confident he will do his best.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

POLAND — John Umble has taken to reading the dictionary in recent weeks.

“I have to,” he said, explaining that it’s part of his preparation for the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 30 and 31.

It wasn’t something John felt was necessary before winning the 74th Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee in March, but the level of competition is higher now.

He doesn’t think he’ll make it through the entire book before spelling bee day (There are about 147,000 word entries.), but he said he’ll cover “as much as I can.”

That’s just part of the work he’s doing to get ready.

“There’s a consolidated word list the spelling bee supplied,” John said, and his teacher, Lynn Rabosky of Willow Creek Learning Center in Boardman, gave him a book of words to study as well, said his father, James.

There was a lot of material found online that has been helpful as well, the elder Umble said.

The support has been outstanding, he said, noting the family has received a lot of letters and notes from across the region as well as from other states from people who read The Vindicator.

“He is very excited about it,” James Umble said, explaining that his son knows he has an amazing opportunity to be part of a significant event.

John’s achievement was recently recognized by both the Youngstown Rotary Club and the Downtown Kiwanis Club when he was an invited guest to their luncheons. Runner-up Hanna Gerdes of St. Patrick School in Hubbard was also a guest of the Kiwanis Club.

“I’m not nervous,” John said. “I feel confident that I will certainly do my best.”

He said he usually studies between 30 and 60 minutes a day.

“That seems to be enough for me,” he said.

He didn’t know that winning the Vindicator Bee meant a trip to the national event in Washington, with all expenses paid by The Vindicator.

He’s as excited about the sights he’ll see as about the national bee itself, pointing out there will be tours of national historic locations during the trip.

He, his father and his mother, Kathryn, will spend a couple of days sightseeing as part of the bee activities before the competition, then return home June 2.

He said he’ll make time to continue his word studies as he prepares for the competition.

John said he won’t be disappointed if he misses a word and is eliminated. Some people have been back to the bee five times and haven’t won, he said.

At age 12 and in the sixth grade, John said he’ll have two more shots at it.

He’s has participated in the Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee three times, winning the Willow Creek school competition in both the third and fourth grades.

His parents have described him as a “nonstop” reader of books. Kathryn Umble said her son learned to read when he was 2.

Other interests

But words aren’t his only interests.

John, an only child, plays the violin and piano and enjoys camping, hiking, riding his bicycle and “catch-and-release” fishing.

He said he’s managed to squeeze in time for those pursuits while doing his homework and studying for the bee.

All spellers at the national bee will take a 25-item, multiple-choice spelling test as well as participate in preliminary onstage spelling May 30 to determine the quarterfinalists. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for May 31.

The winner gets more than $30,000 in cash and prizes. All spellers get a commemorative watch and cash prizes ranging from $50 to $20,000, depending on when they are eliminated.

gwin@vindy.com