WASHINGTON, DC - Bowling Green eighth grader John David Abbott credits his creativity, in part, for landing him a spot at the National Spelling Bee.

“One thing that helps me a lot is bouncing a tennis ball to a rhythm. It helps me pay attention to the spellings of the words.”

The 14-year-old remained in good spirits despite getting eliminated in the third round Wednesday. He has the word moniker to blame.

“It is spelled m-o-n-i-k-e-r but I spelled it m-o-n-o-k-e-r,” he explained.

Fort Thomas seventh grader Henry Campbell’s strategy is a little different.

“I read a variety of books and magazines.”

An obscure word presented a challenge but it didn’t take Campbell down.

“A hard word was recumbentibus. It means a knockout punch,” he said.

Gabriella Velinova, of Louisville’s Collegiate School, focuses on a word’s language of origin.

Little do people know, the seventh grader has a secret weapon.

“My parents are each from different countries so I speak several different languages,” said Velinova.

For 12-year-old Tyler Turnpaugh, it’s about patience and practice.

“It takes a lot of hard work and preparation but the way me and my dad study is through repetition.”

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest running spelling contest. The Kentucky participants who cleared Wednesday’s hurdles didn’t know if they’d make it to the final round Thursday but are tremendously proud to represent their communities.

“Whatever happens, I definitely had success here,” said Turnpaugh.