Cooper Komatsu Advances to Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals!

Cooper Komatsu, the 13 year-old eighth grader, has once again proudly represented Culver City Middle School. This morning, Thursday, May 26, he advanced through the 4th - 7th rounds of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee and into tonight's nationally televised Finals at 5:00 p.m. PST on ESPN that will determine the champion.

Komatsu's successfully spelled words and vocabulary results by round:

Round 1 - Preliminaries Test

Round 2 - Spelling: nagasaste

Round 2 - Vocabulary: If something is described as expugnable, it is: (Correct Answer) capable of being conquered

Round 3 - Spelling: adventitious

Round 3 - Vocabulary: Something allusive is: (Correct Answer) marked by indirect reference

Round 4 - Spelling: cacomistle

Round 5 - Spelling: glaucothoe

Round 6 - Spelling: buccal

Round 7 - Spelling: rerebrace

Komatsu's bio from spellingbee.com:

"Cooper has studied Japanese since he was a kindergartener, and likes how it connects him to his ancestors' culture. He has a passion for geography, maps and discovering new places.

"Social studies and math are his favorite subjects. In his free time, Cooper participates on his school's cross country team, on the Lego Robotics team, and in Boy Scouts of America. He is a Los Angeles Clippers fan, but he loves the Los Angeles Lakers too."

"The best board game, in Cooper's opinion, will always be Scrabble. After a fourth-place finish last year, Cooper and his teammate, playing as "Lucky 13," won the North American School Scrabble Championship tournament out of 85 teams from across the United States and Canada."

"Cooper tied for 11th place in the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, and his grandfather Robert Rosenberg competed in the Bee in 1955."

Komatsu is one of 10 competitors remaining for tonight's exciting conclusion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee taking place in the Maryland Ballroom at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.