NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A Fort Worth 7th grader is one step closer to his goal of earning his way to the finals at Scripps National Spelling Bee.
In his second year at the spelling bee, 13-year-old Ansun Sujoe of Bethesda Christian School advanced to Thursday’s semifinals.
“I’m pretty relieved I’m a semifinalist,” Sujoe said. “All of that hard work paid off.”
In the second round Wednesday, Sujoe easily spelled Buddha for the judges and several hundred audience members, allowing him to continue on to the third round. At that stage, he mastered “carabao,” a buffalo from the Philippines, a word he said he was already familiar with.
This is the farthest that Sujoe has come in the spelling bee, after being knocked out before the semifinals in 2013.
“Last year I wasn’t able to do it, so I was determined this year that I’d study more,” he said.
Sujoe said that knowing what to expect allowed him to study more effectively and return to the competition with more confidence.
“Last year was kind of an experiment round for us, so I didn’t really do that well …but this year I have a little experience from last year so I know what to expect,” Sujoe said.
Sujoe, in part, credits his success to the support of his parents. He said that his dad primarily helps him learn new words, while his mom and younger sister give him encouragement and determination.
“He worked very hard and I’m very happy that he’s rewarded,” said Angel Sujoe, Ansun’s mother. “At least now he’s into the semifinals, last year he was very disappointed. He is very happy, so we as parents are very happy.”
Unlike some of the other spellers, who were battling nerves, spelling bee veteran Sujoe said that he was only battling boredom waiting for his turn.
A gracious sportsman, Sujoe stays on friendly terms with his competition, earning and giving out high-fives.
“I don’t recognize them as rivals or anything and trying to beat them, it’s kinda’ like a partnership to defeat the words.” Still, he acknowledged, “someone has to win outright in the end.”
Sujoe described the experience as “thrilling” and plans to be come back next year.
The semifinals will kick-off Thursday morning, with the championship finals airing live on ESPN starting at 8 p.m., EST.