NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Two New York City boys are among 285 elite spellers — emerging from a talent pool of more than 11 million kids — who have made it all the way to the final rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Cerulean Ozarow, 13, of Brooklyn, and Srinath Mahankali, 12, of Queens, are sponsored by the Daily News for the contest in suburban Washington this week.
This is the second time Srinath has made it to the National Bee. The seventh-grader from Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74 tied for 11th place in 2015.
“I want to do better than last time,” Srinath said.
He became interested in competitive spelling after his brother, Arvind, captured the top spot in the National Spelling Bee in 2013.
“He won. So that’s when I realized I had a chance to do good too.”
Srinath said his brother sometimes quizzes him and gives him tips on keeping calm on stage.
Cerulean is no stranger to competition either. In 2014, the seventh-grader at Hunter College High School was a winner on “Jeopardy!” during its annual “Kids Week.”
“It’s very anxiety producing but also really fun,” Cerulean said of competing in the Bee.
The two spellers will compete in preliminary rounds Wednesday. If they advance, Cerulean and Srinath will contend in the day-long finals Thursday.
It is fitting that Cerulean’s winning word at the Daily News Citywide Spelling Bee for New York City kids was “epistemophilia” — excessive striving for or preoccupation with knowledge.
When it comes to a favorite word, Cerulean opts for “quirky.”
“Because it’s fun to say, and I think I’m quirky,” he said.
The 89th National Spelling Bee will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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