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It was the final round of the Meakem Group 2009 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee for Montgomery County, and Herbert Hoover Middle School student Andrew Haskins had one word between him and the title of county spelling champion.

The competition pitted winners of spelling bees at schools throughout the county against each other on Saturday morning at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda. At stake was a spot in the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, the holy grail of spelling bees coveted by young spellers nationwide since its inception in 1924.

"Boudoir." "Credenza." "Quinine." Haskins, 13, breezed through the spellings, rarely pausing to ask for a definition or a language of origin. Little by little, his competitors dropped by the wayside, misspelling words like "nemesis" — an "a" where the second "e" should be — and "picaresque." Having completed nearly the entire word correctly, the speller replaced the final "e" with a "c."

Haskins' final word — the word that would send him to Washington — was "mayonnaise." Spectators held their breath.

"M.a.y.o.n.n.a.i.s.e," he rattled off easily. Two "n's," executed without a stutter. Haskins was going to the nationals.

Haskins' win is a first for Montgomery County. While many schools yearly organize their own bees, never before have the winners been able to compete in a regional competition for a shot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The regional competition is thanks to the Fourth Presbyterian School in Potomac, which took the lead in organizing the effort and secured a sponsorship from the Meakem Group of Wachovia Securities.

"We crowned our champion at our school and we all clapped and put it in our newsletter and that was the end," said Amanda Macomber, middle school dean of students at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, describing middle school spelling bees at St. Andrews in past years. "This year, we were able to tell the kids that this could be the beginning of what could be a neat road to a bigger forum."

At the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, a spelling bee was organized for the first time in several years to give the students there a shot at the regional competition. The bee quickly caught on, according to Victoria Baumgartner, a teacher there.

"The excitement was contagious," Baumgartner said. "It was a competition, and I think students love competition, whether it be athletic or academic."

However, she said the girls also supported each other in their efforts, which was evident when a group of Holy Child students showed up at the regional bee to cheer on seventh-grader Chella Rizkalla.

"She had her rooting section, and the girls from the school came with a banner to support her," Baumgartner said.

The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee —that nation's top speller — receives cash prizes, scholarship funds, and a gigantic engraved trophy. The event is televised nationally on ESPN and ABC, and has been the spotlight of several documentaries. To be sure, the shot at the big time means competing in a school spelling bee this year counted a lot more than it did last year, students and teachers say.

It also meant the pressure was on, according to Norwood School eighth-grader Cecily Lo, who won Norwood's bee and competed on Saturday. Scripps provides booklets and online practice for spellers at regional competitions, and students often practice for hours before heading to the competition. Lo said her father would read words from the computer screen for her to spell. "I wasn't that nervous, but some of the words I wasn't sure about, so I asked as many questions as I could," said Lo, 13.

Preparation is now especially key for Haskins, who will head to the national competition May 26-29 in Washington, D.C. His secret? "Reading books," he said. "It really expands your vocabulary."