'National Spelling Was Our Olympics'

In the rarefied world of the National Spelling Bee, Chetan Reddy was not unusual. Like other top spellers, he prepared constantly. By eighth grade he was putting in at least four hours a day, and as many as eight on weekends. Like other competitors, he began as a youngster, starting in regional bees at around age 6. He is Indian-American, not uncommon in these circles. Chetan did not win the National Bee. He was happy to come in seventh. But the last time the winner was not South Asian was 12 years ago.

Chetan's parents were not atypical either. They were Indian-American professionals in a Dallas suburb with advanced degrees in electrical engineering and computer science who prepared word lists for him; his mother designed software applications so he could test and review about 1,000 words per hour. “I like the thrill of competition,” Chetan said, “trying to get better and work harder.” To his immigrant father, “the National Spelling Bee was our Olympics.”