For one week, 247 spellers will fill Constitution Hall for the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The annual tradition puts young students and their love of words on display, but many of these spellers have other notable talents.
Thanvi Gatamaneni, a 13-year-old from Maryland, has spent years studying and competing in Bharata Natyam, a form of classical Indian dance. Balancing the two hobbies requires prioritization and careful time management.
“Let’s say I have a dance competition in the next week or so. I try to spend a bit more time on dance, and now that Scripps is getting closer, I strive to spend a lot more time spelling,” Gatamaneni said.
The skills she’s honed on the dance floor will come in handy during her first appearance at Bee Week.
“When you dance, you have to memorize all the steps — remember what comes next. And I think spelling is similar. You have to memorize which roots go with which language of origin, what letter comes next, and things like that,” Gatamaneni explained.
YY Liang from New York is making her second appearance on the national Bee stage this year. Beyond spending hours studying spelling every day, the 14-year-old also dedicates time to the tennis court. She says losing a tennis match is easy to handle, but hearing the dreaded bell after misspelling a word is worse.
“If you play tennis matches and lose one, it’s fine. I can play another match. I can beat the same person another day. I can improve. But in the spelling bee, when you hear the ding, you’re out — and it’s hard to tell whether you’ll ever get back in another year, especially if it’s your last year. Then you’re gone forever,” Liang said.
Many spellers dabble in sports, but Sophia Garcia from Nevada stands out as a competitive fencer. It’s a hobby that helps calm her nerves when her bout is with the dictionary.
“With fencing competitions, they’re also very nerve-wracking, and it’s helped me develop better ways to deal with it — like breathing exercises,” Garcia explained.
Other common talents among this year’s spellers include tae kwon do, robotics, and mastery of the Rubik’s cube. But during Bee Week, it’s their skilled spelling that will take center stage.
