Frankfort Speech Therapist Spells Out the Winning Word in Orland Park Bee

A Frankfort school speech therapist and repeat contender finally took home the first place prize she’d been vying for.

Judy Rice nailed the spelling of “carom” to win the 36th annual Orland Park Open Spelling Bee Sunday, Oct. 19. Eighty spellers—some starting as young as 8 to 10 years old—entered this year’s bee.

“It was my goal to come in first, but I never thought I would,” Rice, of Frankfort, said to the audience at the Presbyterian Church in Orland Park, as reported by Chicago Tribune.

School speech therapist Rice has competed in the bee since 2006, and has earned several top 10 finishes, including one second place. She told the Tribune her superior spelling can be attributed to her reading habits.

“I’m glad I didn’t get idiosyncrasy,” she told the Tribune. “The words I’d spelled were ones I’d seen before.”

Read more on the Chicago Tribune.