Dallas still buzzing over Scripps National Spelling Bee

By Ben Harbuck

From classrooms & local district bees to the Hall of State & Washington D.C., year in and year out Dallas spellers fight through five different rounds of highly competitive spelling bees to earn their right to contest at the highest level.

Each year the Dallas Sports Commission has the privilege of sending the top spellers from the region on an allexpenses paid trip to the nation’s capital for the Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In early June Scripps hosted the 95th annual competition where Dallas was proudly represented by two remarkable young students.

Sriya Gomatam a 7th grader from Coppell ISD & Faizan Zaki a two-time national competitor from Plano ISD. Both spellers battled and proved their mettle against the dictionary, as Sriya earned her way into round three of preliminary rounds, and Faizan made it all the way to the Semifinals.

At this years competition, Gomatam joined Zaki in the long lineage of talented spellers to hail from North Texas. Dallas is widely recognized as one of the most competitive regions in the country, and history backs that up. The city is home to several National Spelling Bee Champions.

Including Sohum Sukhantankar, Abhijay Kodali, & Rohan Raja who were all crowned co-champions in the 2019 bee (pictured above).

Ironically both Zaki & Gomatam carry a very special connection to that particular year. Gomatam stated that 2019 is when she became inspired to begin her journey as a competitive speller as she watched the bee from her home.

“I learned about Scripps from watching the National Bee in 3rd grade (2019) - I was honestly inspired a lot by Abhijay Kodali, Karthik Nemmani (2018 National Champion), & Rohan Raja.” Gomatam noted.

On the other hand, Faizan competed alongside all three champions as the youngest speller to qualify for the 2019 National Bee as a first grader. Zaki also admitted he gained a lot of inspiration from his experience competing against Dallas’s best.

“I have always been inspired by some of the greatest spellers who have came from here. For example, Sohum Sukhantankar, Rohan Raja, and Abhijay Kodali motivated me a lot – since they’re from the same area as me, one day I feel like I can win and become a champion just like them.”

Faizan compared the two trips he made to Nationals and noted, “This time around went by much quicker, I was just having fun - I was able to hang out with my friends, and just had a blast spelling and being around people who share the same passion as me.”

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is known for being an incredible experience for young students. Bryan Witt, Regional partner relations specialist for Scripps quoted “The Scripps National Spelling Bee is so much more than a competition – it inspires lifelong curiosity, celebrates academic achievement and gives kids the experience of comradery and sportsmanship that translates to so many other important skills.”

Witt also noted that event week isn’t ALL about competing on stage. Rather their team strives to create a healthy, educational, and fun environment for spellers offstage as well.

“They participate in numerous activities designed to help them engage and connect with one another – from scavenger hunts and word puzzles to author presentations and a pop-up carnival. Our goal is to make Bee Week a once-in-a-lifetime experience for kids, and we thank the Dallas Sports Commission for partnering with us to make it possible year after year.”

A detail that was echoed by Gomatam as she reflected on her time up in D.C. “It was a great experience, a moment that stood out to me was the ‘Rule the Word’ challenge (a friendly competition for spellers during event week) because it was enjoyable to work with other spellers who had studied for this moment like I had, and I got to meet a lot of amazing new people.”

All in all, Dallas continues to pride itself on being a hive for spellers that compete annually at the highest level. The Dallas Sports Commission and Scripps National Spelling Bees partnership remains stronger than ever. Witt reiterated “We’re grateful to the Dallas Sports Commission for their continued partnership over the years to give kids in their community the opportunity to participate – both regionally and at the national level.”

To learn more about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit spellingbee.com.