NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Alexandra Snyder, a 13-year-old from Albany, New York, made it through two rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Wednesday, but she didn’t make it to the final 45 spellers still in the competition – felled by an inadequate score on a preliminary written test.
Snyder, with a large nametag labeling her as “150” and “Alex,” stood on stage without any sign of fear. When asked to spell “radicchio,” she asked for the origin, definition and usage in a sentence. Then she correctly spelled the purple leaf chicory. In round two, she confidently spelled “ventifact” – a rock or stone shaped or polished by windblown sand or ice – correctly, again have asked for the definition, usage and origin.
Despite her onstage success, Snyder didn’t score well enough on a written preliminary test to advance to the final round. Only 45 contestants did.
She and her family declined to talk about her performance.
She attends Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hood, New York. Snyder has a black belt in karate and competes on a tournament team; she also volunteers to help children with special needs.
Snyder plans to attend Cornell University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study biomedical engineering.
Thursday, those spellers will participate in the final round of the spelling bee to compete for the $40,000 cash prize and trophy.
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