The competition itself was hardly recognizable compared to the most recent version. “The truth was that I was too nervous to go, so I have incredible admiration for each and every one of you.” I had a chance to go to the next level, but on the day of the regional competition, I told my mother that I was sick,” Biden said. “In sixth grade I was my school’s spelling bee champion. The seasoned public speaker told the spellers she was once crippled by stage fright. The first lady, an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College near the nation's capital, also attended the 2009 bee. There was, however, one high-profile fan in attendance: first lady Jill Biden. Only spellers' immediate families were allowed to attend, in contrast to the hundreds of fans and former spellers who normally pack the bee ballroom. It was moved from its usual location just outside Washington to an ESPN campus in Florida, and only the top 11 spellers competed in person. This bee was different from any that came before because of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to the cancellation of last year's bee. Her father, Jawara Spacetime, gave her the last name Avant-garde in tribute to jazz great John Coltrane.
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But there isn't much typical about a basketball prospect whose first choice for college is Harvard and wants to work for NASA if she doesn't go pro in hoops. Zaila only started spelling in time to qualify for the 2019 bee. I know what you are and I can't get you.” I don't know, there's just some words, for a speller, I just get them and I can't get them right,” she said. Only one word gave her any real trouble, “nepeta,” a genus of Old World mints, and she jumped even higher when she got that one right than she did when she took the trophy. Zaila twirled and leaped with excitement after spelling the winning word “murraya,” a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees. She is a basketball standout who hopes to play some day in the WNBA and holds three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously. Zaila has described spelling as a side hobby, although she routinely practiced for seven hours a day.
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Nine of the 11 finalists were of South Asian descent, and Zaila's win breaks a streak of at least one South Asian winner every year since 2008. The bee has long been a showcase for spellers of color. “I’m hoping that within the next few years, I can see a little bit of an influx of African Americans, and not many Hispanic people, either, so I’m hoping to see them there, too,” she said. Zaila said she was fully aware that people were watching her and dreaming of following in her footsteps. Zaila will take home more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.The only previous Black winner was also the only champ from outside the United States: Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica in 1998.Zaila twirled and leaped with excitement after spelling the winning word “murraya,” a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees.Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American winner in the 96-year history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.