Gaston top speller stumbles on word at Scripps National Spelling Bee, still has fun though
Rex Dover had never heard the word "philippize" before a Scripps National Spelling Bee judge asked him to spell it Wednesday.
"I knew it was Greek, so I knew it was 'ph' and not an 'f' and I knew there was a double letter," said the rising eighth-grader at Belmont Middle School.
"I just put the double letter in the wrong place," Dover said, dissecting his choice to spell the word which means "to speak in support of a cause under the influence of a bribe" with a double "ll" instead of a "pp."
Gaston County's representative in the national bee lasted until the fourth round, a good showing considering 141 of the 229 contestants failed to make it to the second day on Wednesday. Another 40 of the remaining 88 would be eliminated in the fourth round.
"I'm really proud of how far I got," said Dover. "It's been a great experience, a fun experience."
Dover matched the effort of his older brother James, who represented Gaston County in the national bee in both 2019 and 2021, also making it to the quarterfinals in his second try. Officially, Dover finished tied for 49th place in the 2022 bee.
Dover, who practiced for the national bee by shooting basketball and spelling a word after a made shot, enjoyed not only the competition, but also meeting a group of similar-minded young people.
He saw his competition as being Webster's Unabridged dictionary than his fellow top spellers. He participated in the "Beekeepers" game, collecting close to 50 autographs from the other spellers, and he hopes to remain friends with some of them through social media when they all return home.
"They were all very nice," Dover said of the other contestants. "We all just share the same general interests of spelling and learning."
Dover planned on spending part of his unexpected free time Wednesday and Thursday visiting museums and riding bicycles with his family through Washington, D.C.
U.S. Sen Richard Burr, R-N.C., arranged for Dover, his parents Amy and Stanley, and older twin brothers James and Asher, to tour the U.S. Capitol.
When he returns for the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee being held Thursday night in Oxon Hill, Maryland, he hopes to see Harini Logan of San Antonio, Texas, competing for the championship.
Logan, 14, has competed in the national bee in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The pandemic led to the 2020 bee being canceled.
"She has worked really hard and has been here so many times," Dover said. "She deserves it." Logan was just one of 31 spellers still standing after Wednesday's fifth round.
As for Dover, he has his sights set on the 2023 national bee.
"I'm looking forward to studying words and competing next year."
Dover earned a spot in the 2022 bee by winning the Gaston County Spelling Bee, sponsored by The Gaston Gazette, in March.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston top speller stumbles on word at Scripps National Spelling Bee
