In the late afternoon of March 31, 14-year-old Westin Martin took the stage in the 2023 First Coast Spelling Bee at LaVilla Schools of the Arts. According to local outlets, Martin faced off against 14 others who spelled over 125 words and competed in 15 rounds ahead of being crowned this year’s champion.

Meet Spelling Bee Champion Westin Martin

Martin, an eighth grader from Abraham Lincoln Middle School, correctly spelled ‘desertification’ in round 15 to take the title. With this win under his belt, he headed out to the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee (SNSB) in National Harbor, Maryland.

Martin received an award for taking the tile at the 2023 First Coast Spelling Bee.

Ironically, Martin, who is now a rising 9th grader, does not even like spelling.

When asked if he had a favorite word, he replied, “No, not really. Some words are more fun to spell than others, though. For instance, I love the word ‘ca’canny.’ It’s not that hard of a word to spell, but I find its definition funny. It means to walk slowly to prolong work.”

“His passion was geography and history and, later, science. He has competed in multiple geography competitions, but this was his first national competition outside of those subject areas,” said Tammy, Westin’s mom. “He does love to read, though, which is probably what helped him win the school spelling bee.”

How He Did It

But how does one who isn’t really into spelling make it into one of the most prestigious spelling competitions? In the weeks after the spelling competition in Jacksonville and leading up to the SNSB, Martin formulated two main ways of studying.

“I can use rote memorization, which is great for learning lists of words, but not so great when it comes spelling words randomly picked from the dictionary, like they give you at Nationals,” said Martin.

This process of studying included flashcards and learning the definition. Martin also learned the root words to have a more comprehensive knowledge of the words he was spelling.

“A root word is a subdivision of a word, which, when memorized, can more easily be used to understand the definition of a given word,” he said.

On May 31, Westin made it all the way to round six at the at the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee before misspelling ‘molasse.’ With this word, he concluded his competition in a tie for 23rd place. Although cut short, his run remains impressive and his parents are incredibly proud.

Martin received a certificate award for qualifying for the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He fnished in a tie for 23rd place.

“His father and I couldn’t be any prouder. To see his hard work pay off in such a big way, it’s very rewarding to see as a parent,” Tammy said. “Westin is an incredible kid with a knack for several subjects. And while we know this was his last year to compete at Scripps, we look forward to seeing what he’ll do next.”

If your child has spelling fever and aspires of one day making it to the SNSB, Martin encourages them to try their best and never give up.

“You’ll never win if you don’t try,” he said. “Don’t let the competition intimidate you and remember, your best is always good enough.”

About the Spelling Bee

The spelling bee has nothing to do with insects. According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, “The word bee, as used in spelling ‘bee,’ is one of those language puzzles that has never been satisfactorily accounted for. A fairly old and widely-used word, it refers to a community social gathering at which friends and neighbors join together in a single activity (sewing, quilting, barn raising, etc.) usually to help one person or family.”

Scripps National Spelling quotes, “The National Spelling Bee began in 1925 when nine newspapers joined together to host a spelling bee. Little did they know that more than 90 years later their literacy effort would reach 11 million students each year.” Every student has the same road to victory starting in school cafeterias or gymnasiums all the way to the national stage.

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