Kari Burden stood at the microphone waiting for the next word to spell.

The Creekland Middle eighth-grader had already spelled her way through 15 rounds of words at Saturday's District 3 Spelling Bee. The contest began with 28 spellers; now Kari was among the final two.

Todd R. McQueen/Special (ENLARGE)

Kari Burden of Creekland Middle School correctly spells the word 'umbilical' during the spelling bee Saturday.

Todd R. McQueen/Special (ENLARGE)

Joshua Baker, a TORCH homeschooler, takes a moment to ponder the spelling of 'sensory.'

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She correctly spelled "innavigable," the word missed by the other finalist, Jonathan Casas from Hall County. Both students advance to next month's state spelling contest, but only one would leave the bee at Collins Hill High as the winner. If Kari correctly spelled the next word, she would be the champion.

The word caller, Carol Terry, said "superfluous." But before Kari could start spelling, the judges jumped in. They made Terry say the word several times, correcting her pronunciation after each utterance.

"I know how to spell it," Kari told the judges.

No matter. The judges, worried about Terry's pronunciation, threw out superfluous and asked her to move on to the next word.

One audience member, upset with the judges' decision, yelled "What!" Kari seemed not to mind. She stood poised at the microphone with her hands clasped together.

Terry pronounced the next word.

Kari took a deep breath and smiled, showing off her braces. Then she enunciated each letter.

"U-M-B-I-L-I-C-A-L. Umbilical," she said.

Terry declared the answer correct and Kari the winner. Her mother, Janet Burden, jumped from her seat and led the applause from the audience.

After receiving her trophy, Kari said she wasn't bothered by the pronunciation mix-up.

"I figured I would get another word that I could spell," she said.

Some spellers hone their skills studying the dictionary. Their parents quiz them and they print study guides off the Internet. They study diligently for hours on end.

Not Kari. Her secret? She's a diehard reader who learned to read at 3. Kari's favorite books are the "Twilight" fantasy series by Stephenie Meyer.

"When I read, I just absorb all the words and then I remember how to spell them later," Kari said. "I don't study. It just comes to me."

Her prolific reading skills weren't the only thing keeping Kari calm before the audience. Her experience as a ballet dancer taught her to feel comfortable on a stage.

Kari already knows her plan to prepare for the State Spelling Bee, March 21 at Georgia State University.

"I have a lot of books I'm waiting to read," Kari said.