On his second run at being the state's top speller, John Walsworth of Homer Middle School came close. Out of 151 spellers from schools around the state, Walsworth lasted until round eight and tied for third place in the Anchorage Daily News Spelling Bee in Anchorage March 4.

"Batiste" was the word that halted Walsworth's push to first place.

"I knew it was either ba- or be- and I had to choose between the two. I went with my first thought, but that was wrong," Walsworth told the Homer News.

Since the Anchorage spelling bee is for students from ages 11 through 14, Walsworth has one more year to make a run for first place.

He already has his eye set on representing Alaska in the 2010 national bee in Washington, D.C.

"That would be fun," said Walsworth, who is not the first one in his family to make it into the state competition. "I'd have to rub it in my brother's face. He went to state a long time ago and he got to sixth place. I've already beat him. I just have to go a little bit farther to let it sink in and let him know it wasn't just luck."

This year, Dylan Jackson of Nikiski North Star Elementary School took first in the Anchorage bee. Jackson, along with Tianna Beckley, winner of the Interior Spelling Bee, will spell for Alaska in the nation's capital in May. Second place in the Anchorage Daily News Spelling Bee went to Wesley Voley of Kenny Lake Junior High School. Samantha Wong of Northern Lights ABC School in Anchorage tied with Walsworth for third.

Other spellers representing the southern Kenai Peninsula were:

* Robert Delgado of Ninilchik School who went out on the second round;

* Kira Hamilton of West Homer Elementary School who went out on the second round;

* Tirzah Hardy of McNeil Canyon Elementary School who went out on the first round;

* Kilina Klaich of Nikolaevsk School who went out on the first round; and

* Sandra Suarez of Chapman School who went out on the first round.

Sometimes the pressure of competition produces unexpected responses, according to Rebecca Hardy, mother of Tirzah Hardy. Tirzah spelled the first and last parts of her word correctly, but forgot about the middle.

"She got a nice hard word -- 'mercurial' -- and she spelled the first part and then skipped right to the end. She was very nervous," her mother said.

To help prepare spellers, Walsworth offered some advice.

"I would just say to try to expand your vocabulary quite a bit," he said."The more words you know, the easier it is." McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibbenjackinsky.@homernews.com.