Lori Anne beat out 21 other spellers, including middle-schoolers from across Prince William County, Virginia, winning the 34th Prince William County Spelling Bee. She was the youngest one in thecompetition, but that didn’t intimidate her.
“I have been in competitionswith older kids before and I have many friends, some younger and some older, and I feel comfortable in any group,” she told ABC News.
Lori Anne’s love of spelling started when she was three: “Some friends mentioned a small regionalspelling bee, and I asked to go. Being on stage was fun. So I asked for more spelling bees since then,” she said. ”I started reading very early and I read a lot, and that helps. Plus, I work hard and love to find new interesting words in the dictionary.”
Her victory in Virginia has earned her a coveted spot in the highly competitive Scripps National SpellingBee, subject of the documentary Spellbound. There, she will face off against regional spellingchampions from across the world for over $40,000 in cash and prizes.