NEW ORLEANS —

What a post-championship whirlwind it's been for the spelling bee champ!

Two weeks ago, Zaila Avant-garde claimed the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship, making history in the process as the first African American winner.

"I just generally remember being super happy, I was just really elated. I couldn't quite believe it," Avant-garde said.

Avant-garde's historic win generated a wave of worldwide support, and it's certainly been a busy two-week victory lap.

"A really hectic flying around to different places, and there's been so many people asking for interviews, it's been so overwhelming but it's been pretty fun," she said.

From network appearances on the "Today" show, and the ESPYs, this impressive 14-year-old now has a global following.

"Like walking around and so many people recognizing me, and their happiness to see me," she said. "Also getting to talk to Malala, if I didn't mention that, was super cool to me."

A festive homecoming parade in Harvey also drew hundreds of supporters.

"The parade was really fun. It was a bit awkward as I was asked to dance a second line. Because I'm a bit awkward about dancing and stuff. But it was really fun and stuff, just being there and seeing the Zulus, and their big costumes and stuff. I did not expect it to be such a big affair."

And with the championship now in the bag, Avant-garde can focus once again on her basketball skills, something that helped her prepare for the Scripps competition.

"The mental ability it kinda takes to be able to control all those different balls and stuff, like really helped with like the mind part of spelling and stuff. Which I guess is the whole part of spelling, like the whole part of spelling is the mind. But I definitely think that played a big part in it."

Avant-garde will also resume basketball practice with her New Orleans AAU team this week.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The lights are up, the stage is set and the championship trophy is standing by, ready to be handed to a new champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“We're excited to be back all in one room for that championship moment,” said Dr. Michael Durnil, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

It’s been a long time coming for this year’s competition.

Last year’s Bee had to be nixed because of the pandemic, marking the first cancelation for the competition since World War II.

This year’s Bee is also in a new location this year: at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, near Disney World in Florida.

“We're usually in Washington, D.C., but because the NBA had success with the bubble here, we found that this would be a great place to be concerned about the safety and security of the spellers,” Dr. Durnil said. “They'll notice that the spellers will be socially distant. They'll be wearing masks. We've taken all the precautions because of the age of the spellers.”

The spellers include 12-year-old Vihaan Sibal from Waco, Texas.

“I was pretty happy because my last year in Nationals, 2018, I didn't even make it past the preliminaries,” Vihaan said. “So, this was a pretty big deal for me.”

It’s also a big deal for 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde from Harvey, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.

“It feels wonderful,” Zaila said. “I just feel like the whole time I've been here, I'm just walking around in a dream.”

That dream comes with a few surprises this year, including a visit from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who will be in the audience and speak with the spellers and their families before the competition.

The competition will include new rules in the finals, including spellers needing to know a word’s meaning and a potential “spell-off” to ensure there are no ties and only one champion.

“The level of competitors has increased to such a high level that we're leveling up the competition to meet that preparation. Just like in other sports, the rules change over time, so has the Spelling Bee,” Dr. Durnil said. “The drama will be there.”

The Scripps National Spelling Bee starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. It will be broadcast on ESPN 2, live across all time zones.

ORLANDO, Fla. — There’s a buzz in the air because the Scripps National Spelling Bee is back, and a new champion will be named Thursday night.

Eleven spellers will compete for the title during the finals, which will be hosted in-person at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.

You can watch the excitement from home on ESPN2 starting at 8 p.m. ET.

You may notice a few changes to this year’s spelling bee.

The last bee held in 2019 ended with a record eight winners as champions. To prevent a repeat of that, organizers have created some new rules. They’ve added vocabulary questions to the competition and a tie-breaker spell-off.

During the finals, the bee will have the option of activating the spell-off if needed. It would be activated in the closing minutes of the competition if a champion has not yet been declared in a traditional, one-person, one-word round.

Here are the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee finalists:

Roy Seligman, 12, from Nassau, The Bahamas
Bhavana Madini, 13, from New York
Sreethan Gajula, 14, from Charlotte, North Carolina
Ashrita Gandhari, 14, from Leesburg, Virginia
Avani Joshi, 13, from Loves Park, Illinois
Zaila Avant-garde, 14, from New Orleans
Vivinsha Veduru, 10, from Fort Worth, Texas
Dhroov Bharatia, 12, from Dallas
Vihaan Sibal, 12, from Waco, Texas
Akshainie Kamma, 13, from Austin, Texas
Chaitra Thummala, 12, from San Francisco

The 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion will receive a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, a $2,500 cash prize and reference library from the Bee’s dictionary partner Merriam-Webster, as well as $400 of reference works, including a 1768 Encyclopædia Britannica Replica set and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium.

This year’s bee will also have a special guest. First lady Jill Biden will attend the finals. Immediately before the event, the White House says Dr. Biden will meet with the spellers and their families to congratulate them on their tremendous academic achievements.

WAXHAW, N.C. — For Sreethan Gajula, playing the clarinet takes practice.

It also takes practice to earn a spot as a finalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“It's just really humbling,” he said. “I was ecstatic, along with my family.”

Sreethan is now one of the 11 finalists in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Canceled last year because of the pandemic, it’s back this year. It is scheduled to take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, near Disney World in Florida, on July 8.

“I believe the difference between a good speller and really mastering the art of spelling is their comprehension of language rules,” Sreethan said.

It’s been a whirlwind journey for Sreethan, who will be the first finalist in the bee from North Carolina in decades.

“I've gotten so much support from my community, my teachers, my friends, my school, my county, just from random people all over North Carolina and over the nation,” he said.

He also got a message from one special NFL player for the Carolina Panthers.

“Then Christian McCaffrey, he showed up on the screen,” Sreethan said, “And I was just in utter disbelief and shock. I mean, the best running back in the NFL had just said my name and yeah, I mean, it was so amazing!”

A thousand miles away, near Dallas, Vivinsha Veduru is counting down the days to the bee.

“It feels really exhilarating,” she said. “When I was in third grade and I placed third in the regionals, I got motivated and I started researching and I got this far.”

And far, she’s gone: at 10 years old, Vivinsha is the youngest of the 11 finalists in this year’s spelling bee.

“I know this is my first turn, and whatever I do is a bonus,” she said.

In addition to her hobby of creating her own comic books, there’s been a lot of spelling practice involved.

“My mom helps me by coaching and my dad and my sister also quizzes me, too,” Vivinsha said.

Now, both students, and the nine others who will join them, will put all they’ve learned to the ultimate test, in the hopes of earning that champion trophy.

There are a few changes to this year’s spelling bee.

In 2019, it ended with a record eight winners as champions. To prevent a repeat of that, organizers created some new rules. They’ve added vocabulary questions to the competition and a tie-breaker spell-off.

Do you ever watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee and think maybe you should have paid more attention in English class?

Well, you can expect more of that feeling with the event making a major change.

It will now test competitors on their vocab skills and there will be a lightning speed round if there's a tie at the end.

Spellers will get 90 seconds to knock out as many words as they can correctly.

The change would prevent ties like we've seen in recent years.

We do want to note Newsy is a part of the E.W. Scripps Company, which runs the Scripps National Spelling Bee on a not-for-profit basis.

This story was originally published by Simon Kaufman at Newsy.

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