TRAVERSE CITY -- With his competition down for the count, one word stood between Lukas Blakkan-Esser and a trip to Washington, D.C.
Lukas, 13, an eighth-grade student at Traverse City West Middle School, faced the judges on the stage of the City Opera House Sunday afternoon at the Grand Traverse Regional Spelling Bee. Finalist Kalvis Hornburg stumbled on "bureaucracy" only seconds earlier, clearing Lukas' way for the win.
His word: "carafe." He didn't need a definition. He didn't need it used in a sentence. He knew it.
"C-A-R-A-F-E."
With an approving nod from the judges, Lukas' face lit up and the audience erupted in applause.
"I'm just in shock, and I'm really happy at the same time," Lukas said a few minutes after the win.
Lukas will represent the region at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May. He beat more than 30 other middle school students from Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Leelanau County.
The event was sponsored and organized by The Record-Eagle.
Lukas said his mom and sister helped him study for the competition. His sister, Nicole Blakkan-Esser, 10, lost in the second round of competition on "kabuki."
The key to success? Study your word roots, Lukas said.
"Even if you haven't heard a word, you can identify the roots and piece it together," he said.
Family and friends gathered to congratulate Lukas after the win.
"It's very exciting," said his father, Tim Esser. "It's kind of like winning the championship or the Super Bowl; it's pretty cool."
After Lukas and Kalvis, Gunnar Carlson, Liam Andersen-Shay, Logan Gawne, Coleman Ankerson and Rebekah Roberts wrapped up the third- through seventh-place slots.
About 30 fidgety students sat in three rows when the competition began. One by one, they lined up to receive their words. A quick ring of a judge's bell signified an incorrect spelling, and slowly but surely the group grew smaller and smaller.
Finally just Lukas and Kalvis shared the stage. Kalvis has spelled "bureaucracy" right in the past, he said, but couldn't seal the deal Sunday.
"I just didn't think," he said. "I made a mistake, but I can't do anything about it now."
