Central Texas spellers headed to Scripps Spelling Bee

• They are among 23 Texas spellers competing this year.

Catch up quick: Thivaan, who was eliminated in the sixth round last year on the word "culmen," said his preparation comes down to consistency and repetition.

• "I just take deep breaths, stay in the moment, and focus on my word," he said in a statement provided by Lake Travis ISD.
• He said much of his studying involves reading books and reviewing word lists he's created himself.
• "It's a lot of reading books," he said. "I also have some lists that I've made, so I study those a lot."

Zoom in: Sreeyansh enjoys building keyboards and robots, programming, and playing video games, according to information on the Scripps site.

• His favorite sport is soccer and his favorite book is "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin.

🐝 Bee smart: For aspiring spellers, it's all about remaining calm, Thivaan says.

• "Just stay calm and keep studying. If you get out, you have plenty more chances."

What we're watching: The spelling bee preliminary rounds are Tuesday, followed by the semifinals Wednesday and finals on Thursday.

• Check out all the spellers on the Scripps website and watch the semifinals and finals live on Ion.