Windsor spelling champ wins third trip to Scripps National Spelling Bee

A Windsorite reflects on his win, sending him to the national spelling bee.

To suggest it was comprehensible Isaac Brogan could win his third WFCU Credit Union Scripps Regional Spelling Bee heading into this weekend would’ve been a fair statement.

Fittingly, it was that 14-letter word, comprehensible, that sealed Brogan’s victory at the Chrysler Theatre on Saturday afternoon.

With the championship word presented to him, the 14-year-old placed his hands over his face, confident his third victory was within reach.

“I was like, oh, my gosh, I know this one. Thank you, Lord. And I was just like, okay, but I got to make sure I get it right first,” Brogan said after the win.

Brogan bested opponents from about 40 other schools across Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, and Sarnia-Lambton.

The victory earns Brogan another opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for the national finals.

“The weeks leading up to this spelling bee, I was super nervous. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to lose it,’ but this morning I just had a moment with God when I don’t know I … just got a peace from above,” Brogan explained.

Aside from constant preparation, Brogan said it was a previous loss at a school spelling bee that taught him to have humility regardless of the outcome.

“If I win, I win. If I lose, I learn,” he said.

In addition to a trip to Washington for the finals, the winner received a $200 educational scholarship from WFCU.

Spanning about three hours, organizers said it was the longest spelling bee they’ve held to date.

Beth Ann Prince, Manager of Community Investment at WFCU, said the length of the event was a reflection of student preparation.

“We had the most spellers today, and the time of the bee was evident with how the spellers were studying. They knew their words, and they were not going down,” said Prince.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is set for May 26-28.