FRANKLIN, Wisc. — Only two people from Wisconsin are headed to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and one of them is from southeast Wisconsin: 13-year-old Nethraa Muthupandiyaraja from Franklin.
“Last year, I could only do like 100 words. And that literally seemed impossible to me, but then in the summer, I started to increase it,” said Muthupandiyaraja.
For months, Nethraa has spent every free moment practicing, and she’s come a long way since then.
“I’ve learned a lot of words. Probably like 38,000,” said Muthupandiyaraja.
Right by her side is her proud mom, Saveetha Marimuthu.
“If she needs any help, I mean, whatever time it is, I will take time off and I will help her,” said Marimuthu.
Together, they tackle their word lists, whether that is in her room, surrounded by her favorite things, or at the dinner table, just feet from her spelling trophies.
“I was always encouraging and supportive of her dreams because you cannot push and make them study; it has to come from their own right,” said Marimuthu.
This will be Nethraa’s first time at the national competition, after taking second place at her first Badger State Spelling Bee.
“I'm mostly excited about the competition because I really want to see how far I can go,” said Muthupandiyaraja.
As she gears up for the big day, she hopes other kids will give it a try.
“Sometimes it just comes down to luck and you can't really change luck. I just advise them to just study as much as they can and their hard work can pay off,” said Muthupandiyaraja.
How to Watch
ION is the official television home of the Scripps National Spelling Bee! ION Plus is the streaming home for live coverage of every round, including the Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals. The Semifinals and Finals will also air in prime time on ION. The two-night event begins with the Semifinals on May 29 at 7 pm, followed by the Finals LIVE on May 30 at 7 pm.
You can watch ION for free on over-the-air channel 55.1 in the Milwaukee area. ION is also free on most cable, satellite, and streaming providers.
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