By Lindsay VanHulle
TRAVERSE CITY -- He was the second-to-last speller in his heat, and by the time his name was called, Chris Rice was ready.
Until he heard his word.
Chris, a sixth-grader at Elk Rapids' Cherryland Middle School, said he was "blindsided" when he learned he would have to spell "sidereal" during a preliminary round Thursday at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington.
The word is defined by Merriam-Webster as "of, relating to or expressed in relation to stars or constellations."
"I just didn't really know the word at all," Chris, 12, said. "I've never seen it before."
He misspelled the ending and, thus, did not qualify for the quarterfinal round Thursday afternoon.
Spellers could advance based on a combined score from Thursday's preliminary heat and a written test taken this week.
"I'm a little disappointed, but this kind of does make me want to do a lot harder next year," Chris said. "I would do it again."
His father, Calvin Rice, said he and wife Reva watched from the audience, and grew increasingly nervous as Chris' turn drew nearer.
"He came close, but not quite," Calvin Rice said. "We're still proud of him, because he got as far as he did."
Cherryland students and staff tracked his progress, said Annie Hill, who has coordinated the school's spelling bee for 25 years.
In that time, she said, no Elk Rapids speller until Chris ever had won the regional contest, sponsored by the Record-Eagle, let alone competed in Washington.
"When somebody does something great, the whole community rallies," Hill said. "We're really proud of him. He works very hard."
Regardless of the way the competition turned out, Chris said the experience still was worthwhile.
He and his family were able to see the nation's capital, the first visit there for any of them. And, he said, he learned a lot.
"Usually, the words I get at school for spelling, they're actually pretty easy -- in my standards, at least," Chris said. "This is actually the first time in my life where I've actually felt challenged."
Don't miss Chris' blog at http://blogs.record-eagle.com.
