Price teen prepares to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee

PRICE, Utah — Utah will be represented by four students in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, including an 8th grader from Price who put me to the test.

Cadi Heaton won the regional trophy and a ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word “disjoint.”

“What I love most about the spelling bee is the competition,” she said. “I like to go up there and kind of play.”

I asked Cadi to pick a hard word to spell and see if she could surprise me.

She gave me “Ardhamagadhi,” which is “a North Indian Prakrit language used in much of the Jain canon,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

I quickly regretted my decision to be interviewed because I quickly misspelled the word, but Cadi decided to give me a second chance, subsequently selecting the word “Dendrochronology.”

This means the science of dating tree rings and the study of climate and atmosphere through the wood of trees.

I almost understand this word, it's only missing an “O” near the end.

Cadi said long words are especially difficult under pressure; it's easy to forget a pesky vowel.

Spelling isn't Cadi's only skill and she's a talented pianist with big dreams.

“I think I would like to pursue a career in astrophysics or astronomy, stuff like that,” she said.

Cadi is one of more than 200 spellers, including four from Utah, who are already in Maryland preparing for the competition this week.

READ: South Jordan student is one of four Utah contestants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee

The semifinals begin Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT, followed by the finals on Thursday.

You can watch the competition and test your own spelling skills by logging on to ION.