Martinsville 8th grader heading to Scripps National Spelling Bee

INDIANAPOLIS — Four Central Indiana students have won their regional competitions and are now heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The competition is fully back in person this year at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside of Washington D.C. The preliminaries are on May 31.

Martinsville 8th grader Abram Polley is packing his bags and preparing for the competition.

"Now that I'm going it's a lot of pressure," Polley said.

The John R. Wooden Middle School student has been competing in spelling bee competitions since first grade.

"It was surreal honestly because we've seen him compete over and over and over so many years in a row even at the local level and regional level a few times," Mandy Polley, Abram's mom said. "When he got down to the final three, we were like oh my gosh he could actually win this and then he did we were all like in shock for a little while."

Abram's parents agree the chance to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"We told him the entire time we're proud of him regardless if he goes up there and bricks his first word we're so proud of him to get theirs are going to the lifetime opportunity at something he'll remember forever regardless," Brad Polley, Abram's dad said.

Abram will join six other Hoosier competitors from across the state.

This year, for the first time in bee history, the semifinals and finals rounds will be aired exclusively on ION and Bounce, which are free Scripps TV stations.