Patience pays in speller’s 4th bee

By HAROLD GWIN

gwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Julia Miglets finished third in the Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee the last two years, so she thought another third-place trophy was a good possibility this year.

It wasn’t.

She didn’t finish third. She didn’t finish second. She won, becoming the grand champion of the 77th Vindicator event Saturday in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center at Youngstown State University.

Her grand prize is an expense-paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 30-June 5.

It was Julia’s fourth time in the regional event.

“I didn’t actually think I would win,” the 13-year-old eighth-grader representing Springfield Intermediate said as she grasped a trophy nearly as tall as she.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said, admitting that she had expected to finish third again.

“I thought Andrew Rossi [last year’s second-place finisher] was going to win,” she said.

Andrew came in third this year.

It was Lauren Ann Ritz, daughter of Steven and Lisa Ritz of New Castle, Pa., and a sixth-grader representing Willow Creek Learning Center in her first appearance in the Vindicator Bee, who took second place this time.

She and Julia went head-to-head for five rounds before Lauren misspelled the word “sachem” in the sixth. Julia spelled it correctly and then went on to spell “cheka” to win the contest.

“I just studied hard and pretty much memorized that booklet of words,” she said, referring to a word list supplied to bee participants as a study guide.

She said she felt confident but realized it was her first year in the competition and was extremely pleased with her performance.

So was her father, who said the family was hoping she would make it through a couple of rounds.

“She’s always been a good speller,” he said. “We are very proud of her getting to that point. She really prepared quite a bit this year.”

Julia, daughter of Laura and David Miglets of Poland, said she is excited to make the trip to the big show in Washington and hopes she will do well, but doesn’t predict a victory.

Some of the words at the national bee are unbelievable, she said.

“I’m going to study,” she said.

“I have a lot of confidence in her, definitely. She worked really hard,” her mother said.

“It’s a mind-blower,” her father added.

Julia said she used the bee list of words to study last year but heard a lot of words at the 2009 regional event that weren’t on that list.

She opted to spend more time working with a dictionary this time, and it paid off, she said.

Julia participates in cross-country running and is a member of the Western Reserve Rangers 4-H Club, focusing on creative writing.

The visit to Washington truly will be a family affair.

In addition to Julia’s mother and father, her sister Melanie, brother Mitchell and grandmother Sandra Gallo plan to make the trip.

Participants and words they missed

Vindicator Regional Spelling Bee participants are listed alphabetically by school, with the word each missed and the round in which they were eliminated.

Akiva Academy: Sophie Alper, sallow, 2.

Alpha School of Excellence: Anastasia Lopez, adjacent, 2.

Austintown Middle: Marina Pavlichich, loam, 1.

B.L. Miller Elementary: Megan Winters, clapboard, 2.

Baker Elementary: Kenna Jo Miller, haiku, 1.

Beloit Elementary: Devyn Mazzei, filament, 1.

Brookfield Elementary: Josy Kirila, verboten, 6.

Campbell Elementary: Jaylin Wacht, mongrel, 2.

Campbell Middle: Taylor Valerio, croquette, 1.

Canfield Village Middle: Rollin Bresson, peloton, 4.

Center Middle: Michael Cohn, jeremiad, 6.

Christian H.O.M.E.: Andrew Johnson, neologism, 4.

Damascus Elementary: Gabbriella Hanson, trauma, 1.

Eagle Heights Academy: Tyler Phillips, grotto, 1.

Ellsworth Elementary: Hunter Yoak, foliate, 2.

Frank Ohl Middle: Madelyn Kist, kitsch, 2.

Girard Intermediate: Kimberly Reinhart, panzer, 1.

Girard Junior/Senior High: Arielle Terry, tarragon, 4.

Glenwood Middle: Kristyn Wolf, bellicose, 4.

Harding Elementary: Kayleen Hackett, orthodox, 1.

Holy Family: Andrew Rossi, embarcadero, 16.

Jackson-Milton Elementary: Adriana Italiano, ghoul, 4.

Jackson-Milton Middle: Briana Gaugler, aristocracy, 2.

Kirkmere Elementary: David Chaney, matinee, 2.

Knox Elementary: Kaley Anderson, machismo, 3.

Legacy Academy: Robert Huggins, geode, 1.

Lowellville Elementary: Anthony Fimognari, allegory, 2.

Lowellville Junior High: Brett Bessell, klopen, 2.

Martin Luther King Elementary: LaMont Rankin Jr., petunia, 1

Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley: Alexa Mollica, dross, 1.

P. Ross Berry Middle: Angel Lozada-Rivera, hickory, 1.

Paul C. Bunn Elementary: Nisyah Traish, sayonara, 2.

Poland Middle: Emily Eckman, insidious, 3.

Rayen Early College Middle: DaJhanae Robinson, homburg, 2.

Reed Middle: Sarah Clark, kuruma, 5.

Roosevelt Elementary-Hubbard: Natalie Pantin, libretto, 2.

Roosevelt Elementary-McDonald: Julian Sperati, enchilada, 2.

Seaborn Elementary: Sarah Bacak, inane, 5.

Sebring McKiley Junior/Senior High: Chloe Chowaniec, sarcasm, 1.

South Range Elementary: Jacob Stellers, antipasto, 3.

South Range Middle: Christian Moore, rhetoric, 3.

Springfield Elementary: Cierra Latronica, gingham, 6.

Springfield Intermediate: Julia Miglets, grand champion.

St. Charles: Luco Beato, periphery, 5.

St. Christie: Samantha Blasko, tithe, 1.

St. Joseph & Immaculate Heart: Jack Chepke, castanets, 3.

St. Joseph the Provider: Christopher Austalosh, souvenir, 1.

St. Luke: Madison Evans, amenable, 5.

St. Nicholas: Vincenzo Angelilli, topography, 1.

St. Patrick: Robert Dulay, poinsettia, 3.

St. Rose: Lucas Trott, knish, 2.

Stambaugh Charter Academy: Alex Thompson, langlauf, 5.

Struthers Elementary: Brandon Lambert, hogan, 1.

Struthers Middle: Rachel Mass, heifer, 9.

Taft Elementary: Gerald Walker, renovate, 1.

Volney Rogers Junior High: Hannah Woodward, perennial, 7.

West Branch Middle: Kristen Sposetta, bequeath, 1.

Western Reserve Middle: Taylor Thomas, homogeneous, 3.

William S. Guy Middle: Jala Beasley-Williams, ergonomic, 3.

Williamson Elementary: Keasia Chism, meticulous, 2.

Willow Creek Learning Center: Lauren Ann Ritz, sachem, 22, runner-up.

Youngstown Christian: Gabriella Yargo, didactic, 5.

Youngstown Community: Anthony Gill, beleaguer, 3.