TROY – A skiff is a shallow, flat-bottomed open boat with a sharp bow and square stern. 

And skiff is the word Troy Junior High School student Tanmayee Tallam spelled correctly in the championship round as she sailed to victory Thursday night in the Troy District Spelling Bee in the Troy High School auditorium. 

“When they asked the final word, I pretty much knew that I was going to win, so I was pretty excited,” Tallam said. “But before that, I was pretty nervous. I was shaking the entire time.”

Tallam outlasted nine other spellers from Troy’s six elementary schools, the Van Cleve Sixth Grade Building, Saint Patrick School, Troy Christian Elementary School and Miami Montessori to capture the district championship. 

Saint Patrick School’s Alice Cox was the runner-up.

In the ninth round, Tallam correctly spelled “feisty.” As the lone speller left in the competition without any misspelled words, Tallam moved into the championship round, where she was able to spell skiff to capture the championship.

Tallam won the Troy Junior High School championship just prior to winter break, then spent all of winter break studying for Thursday night’s spelling bee.

“I studied pretty much throughout winter break,” Tallam said. “I wrote all the words down and I used the app that they had and I made my parents ask me words sometimes. I was pretty much studying every day throughout winter break.”

Troy City Schools participants were: Chase Magyar (Concord Elementary School), Carter Busse (Cookson Elementary School), Madilynn Vanchure (Forest Elementary School), Harper Addington (Heywood Elementary School), Berkley Hughes (Hook Elementary School), Farrah Garver (Van Cleve Sixth Grade Building) and Tanmayee Tallam (Troy Junior High School).

Students from Saint Patrick School (Alice Cox), Troy Christian Elementary School (Audrey Quick) and Miami Montessori School (Emily Wahl) also participated in the competition.

The district spelling bee can be viewed on the Troy City Schools Facebook page, www.facebook.com/troy.schools/