Norfolk, Va. – The Scripps National Spelling Bee started Wednesday in Washington, DC and there are two local spellers to cheer on!
Carson Christopher Brown
Credit: Scripps
Eliza V. Willett
Credit: Scripps
Speller #262 is 13-year-old Eliza Willett, a homeschooler from Virginia Beach. She is competing in the Bee for the first time, but according to her bio, her two sisters have each twice competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Speller #267 is 11-year-old Carson Christopher Brown, a 5th grader at Thomas Hunter Middle School in Mathews. Carson is also competing at the Bee for the first time.
Both have passed through the first two rounds of the competition. Eliza spelled correctly in Round 3 while Carson unfortunately misspelled his word.
Following Round 3, 50 semifinalists are chosen based on their scores in the written preliminary exams and passage through Rounds 2 and 3. The semifinalists then take another written test. If the spellers make it past Rounds 5 & 6, their test scores will help determine if they become one of 12 spellers in the finals.
You can watch a live stream of the Bee on WatchESPN.com or through the WatchESPN app. The semifinals will air on ESPN 2 on Thursday, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The finals will air on ESPN on Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
