A sixth-grade student from El Centro, California, is competing in the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland.
Nathan Ostermann, 11, said he’s “not too nervous” about the national competition.
“It’s the same as every other spelling bee. It’s just one word you have to spell,” he explained. “At its core, it’s the same thing I have always done.”
Ostermann correctly spelled the word "interrelate" to represent Imperial County of Education at the annual event.
In Tuesday's early round of competition, Ostermann correctly spelled "Pinkerton."
Ostermann talked with NBC News about his pre-game prep which involves, not surprisingly, studying.
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In addition to the 400-word list from Round 2, Ostermann said he goes online to find words to study for other rounds.
In his spare time, he likes to read, build Lego sets and have Nerf gun wars.
Ostermann and his family visited Mount Vernon before competition began and plan on going to Washington, D.C.-area museums on Friday.
Spellers will return to the stage at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center later Wednesday. Those who correctly spell their third-round word can be among the maximum of 50 spellers advancing to Thursday's semifinals if their score on a test of 12 hand-written spelling words and 14 multiple-choice vocabulary questions is high enough. The test, completed Tuesday, is considered the bee's first round.
A misspelling in either the second or third round means the contestant is eliminated. The semifinalists are scheduled to be announced at approximately 3 p.m. following the conclusion of the third round.
The Bee is limited to students in eighth grade or below, with contestants ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old.
The field of 291 spellers consists of students who won locally sponsored bees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense schools in Europe. Six foreign nations are also represented -- the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.
