Magic speller

Imagine standing before an audience of eager listeners while spelling the word "stylopharyngeus." Just the thought of it makes most flinch, but Tricia Ann Powles knows the trick lies in tackling the word – which, incidentally, refers to a muscle in the human skull – one syllable at a time.

That strategy has earned her a second straight appearance in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. This Sunday, Tricia and her mother, Pam, will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete against 273 of the nation’s best and brightest spellers in a series of consecutive rounds culminating with a chance to win a grand prize of $12,000. The bee opens with a weekend of welcoming and Memorial Day festivities, followed by two days of hard-core spelling, and concludes with tours and an awards ceremony June 3.

Tricia, of 13th and Tasker streets, is one of just 34 home-schooled students to make it to the national competition. Last year, she advanced to round two and tied for 95th place in the 77th annual bee.

Tricia’s victory at the Philadelphia-area regional bee March 9 earned her the privilege of representing the city once again. Tricia beat out 32 competitors at the citywide bee, held at Grover Washington Middle School.

Tricia modestly admitted that she did not expect to clinch first place in the city this year.

"I didn’t think there was much of a chance of doing it two years in a row," the 13-year-old said.

Tricia’s parents are happy to see her get another opportunity to compete in Washington.

"This is the last chance she had, so we were really blown away when she won the second time," said Pam Powles.

Children are only eligible to participate in the bee through eighth grade.

David Powles, Tricia’s father, said many of the regional competitors were past participants, but "when she won again, that just reaffirmed the fact that she is a good speller."

With only a few days remaining before they leave town, Tricia and her mother spend every moment they can training for the competition. Each day, Tricia memorizes nearly 500 words out of a daunting and seemingly infinite wordlist taken from Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.

"She would do it like she does it in the spelling bee. Tricia repeats the word and spells it. Sometimes she’ll have a question, like what does it mean, what’s the definition, etc.," said David.

"Pretty much everything is fair game," quipped Pam.

Tricia said her experience in the bee will help her feel more in control this year.

"Now I know how much pressure there is, so I guess I’m a little more prepared this year," she said. "I pay attention to the definition and spelling of the word more than I did last year."

So far, Tricia is doing a good job at not pressuring herself.

"I’m just hoping to get farther than I did last year," she said.