Letter by letter, an Illawarra youngster is singlehandedly carrying the hopes of the region on her slight shoulders.
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Nine-year-old Grace, dubbed the ‘‘pocket rocket’’ for her speed and accuracy, will take to the Great Australian Spelling Bee stage again on Monday night as she attempts to spell her way into the finals of the Network Ten television show.
Last week, Grace secured herself a Top 12 spot after eliminating her opponent Tej, 9, in a tie-breaker. Despite both getting the word correct, Grace was too fast for her competition once again.
On Monday night, Grace has the chance to win a ‘‘fast pass’’ through to the finals of the spelling competition if she can win immunity in the last team challenge of the series.
As a former winner of the NSW Premier’s Spelling Competition, Grace is seen as the front runner for the TV spelling crown, alongside friend and rival Mica, 10, who she pipped for the Premier’s title earlier this year.
The Great Australian Spelling Bee screens Monday at 7.30pm. Anyone wanting to cheer Grace on or comment on her efforts can do so via social media – @SpellingBeeAU or #SpellingBeeAU.
Grace beat more than 3000 applicants to appear on the series, which features Australia’s top spellers aged between eight and 13.