P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E is key for success at regional spelling bee, young winner says

The final word of the 2020 Charlotte Observer Spelling Bee on Monday was worth an ironic chuckle.

Ten-year-old Grisham Paimagam rattled off without hesitation: A-D-D-L-E-P-A-T-E-D. Its meaning? Being mixed up or confused.

Grisham was anything but mixed up or confused as he spelled his way to victory against 21 other contestants in the regional bee, cruising his way through toughies like “decastich,” “arachnophagous” and “oxyacetylene” to bring home the crystal trophy.

He’ll head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

Grisham, a fifth grader from Barringer Academic Center, represented Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, squaring off against students in grades four through eight from school districts across western North Carolina.

The final two spellers made it to round 50 before Grisham spelled the winning word. The second place winner was Luke Piasecki, an eighth grader at Charlotte Latin who was making his second appearance at the Observer Spelling Bee.

For Grisham, it took several spelling victories before he could even arrive at ImaginOn Monday morning: He had to win his classroom spelling bee, then a school-wide bee, then a spelling contest in his CMS region and finally the CMS district-wide spelling bee.

Those wins were no fluke. Spelling is serious business in the Paimagam household.

Grisham’s older sister, Akshra, twice competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, placing 39th and then 23rd in a field of hundreds.

The key to great spelling performances? Hours and hours of practice, Grisham said.

He and his mom, Devika, study for up to five hours a day on weekends leading up to spelling bees. On weeknights they keep it to three hours.

“I look at the lists and then my mom quizzes me on the words. Its a cycle,” he said.

Visualize the words

Some kids moan and groan over spelling lists, but Grisham said he enjoys them — even those double-consonant words and ones with Italian and French origins, which he says trip him up most often.

“It’s really interesting that you can break apart the words and find out the definition,” he said. “You can find out the definition by root, and it’s really interesting.”

One trick he employs was visible to the audience on Monday: Grisham used his right index finger to trace the words in his left palm before saying the letters into the microphone.

“It helps me visualize the word. it’s as if I’m actually writing down the word,” he said.

On Monday, his dad was there to cheer him on.

HIs dad, Premnavasu Paimagam said he’s a good speller himself, but gives credit for his kids’ champion speller status to his wife.

“His mom is the main reason for everything — I don’t do anything” spelling-related with his kids, he laughed. “Mom sits with him and gets him to focus on spelling for a stretch.”

Grisham had a bit of advice for students who want to earn a place on the regional spelling bee stage: “Keep on studying. Never lose interest in it and never give up.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 3:58 PM.