BY SUSAN DICKERSON
SALISBURY POST

It took 84 words and 30 minutes to get to the champion.

Allison Swaim, also known as Speed Speller, took the Rowan County Spelling Bee championship home Tuesday night after correctly spelling vulgar and eligible.

That makes two years in a row students from North Rowan Elementary School have taken the big trophy to their classmates.

Swaim wasted no time. She knew her words – except for quiche – and she spelled them expeditiously (a word not on the list).

Compared to last year’s tourney of 50-some words, this year’s competition was much more ferocious.

It took six rounds to come to the finalists – Swaim, a fifth-grader at North Elementary, and Sean Wade, a fifth-grader at Isenburg Elementary.

With two students remaining, one of them had to spell two words correctly.

The face-off began with ‘‘camouflage.’’

Wade, No. 9, took the microphone and spelled the word correctly. Swaim, No. 17, stood and took her place, several feet from the microphone.

‘‘Sardine,’’ master of ceremonies Dr. Karl Hales said.

And she raced through that word, correctly.

Wade’s turn, and he spelled oyster correctly.

And then it came. ‘‘Quiche,’’ Hales announced to Swaim.

Swaim scrunched her face and began spelling – the only word she didn’t race through. ‘‘K-i-t-s-h.’’

‘‘That is incorrect,’’ Hales said.

The tension intensified.

Wade took the mike.

‘‘Quiche,’’ Hales said.

‘‘Q-u-e-s-c-h,’’ Wade said.

‘‘That is incorrect,’’ Hales said. ‘‘For those of you who want to know, it’s q-u-i-c-h-e,’’ Hales said to laughter from the audience.

Swaim continued correctly with occlusion, and her speed increased.

And then the Achilles’ heel came.

Wade took the mike. ‘‘Vulgar,’’ Hales announced.

‘‘V-u-l-g-u-r,’’ Wade said.

‘‘That is incorrect,’’ Hales said.

Swaim took the mike, still standing several feet from it. ‘‘V-u-l-g-a-r.’’

‘‘That is correct,’’ Hales said.

Remaining calm, her hands clasped together in front of her, Swaim got her next word: ‘‘eligible.’’

She didn’t even pause or patiently spell it. She zipped it out: correctly.

And in the middle of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Teaching Auditorium, Swaim’s 5-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister began jumping up and down between her mother and father.

After officials handed out plaques and certificates, her little brother, Ian, and sister, Devereaux, ran up to her before her parents could.

Swaim received a $500 savings bond from Salisbury-Rowan Merchants Association, and a $50 gift certificate to Ralph Baker’s Shoes. All school winners received a case of Cheerwine and a free 12-inch pizza from Italy Cafe from the Merchants Association.

Referring to one of Swaim’s prizes, Ian asked: ‘‘Will you let me drink some of your Cheerwine?’’

Talking to those who congratulated her, she said, ‘‘I knew the hard ones better than the easy ones.’’

And she told someone else: ‘‘Now, I’ll have to study some more.’’

With the help of family, Swaim said she studied the 5,000-word list for at least one hour every day.

‘‘I just felt like she was representing her school,’’ mom Marianna Swaim said, ‘‘and she needed to be as prepared as she could.’’

Proud dad David Swaim came up and kissed his daughter. Standing back and watching all the well-wishers, he had his own story of his daughter’s success: ‘‘They wouldn’t let me pronounce any of the words. I can’t pronounce them right, so they wouldn’t let me do it.’’

And that very afternoon, Allison Swaim, trying to get away from the pressure, watched some public television. But she couldn’t get away from it even then. ‘‘Arthur’’ and ‘‘Wishbone’’ were about spelling, mom Marianna said.

So, can Allison spell quiche? Yep, and in a hurry, too – correctly.

Wade received a $250 savings bond for his second place performance, along with a $25 gift certificate to Ralph Baker’s Shoes. Third place went to Mount Ulla’s Charlie Herron, who took home a $100 savings bond and another $25 gift certificate. China Grove Middle’s Lacy Porter took home a $50 savings bond and a $25 gift certificate for her fourth-place win.

The Salisbury Post gave each of the 23 school winners plaques, and the Winston-Salem Journal gave each winner a certificate.

The other 19 school spelling champs are: Alan Hinshaw, Bostian; Jessica Jones, Erwin Middle; Crystal Lazorko, China Grove; Stephanie Raney, Cleveland; Ashley Edwards, Corriher-Lipe Middle; Sean Burney, Enochville; Alison Davis, Faith; C.J. Buck, Granite Quarry; Lauren Moore, Henderson; Laura Ritchie, Hurley; Angel Rivera, (not present), Knollwood; Sara Nussman, Knox Middle; Michael Gore, Landis; Dylan, Holshouser, Morgan; Cameron Teague, North Middle; Monica Wilson, Overton; Jenna Johnson, Rockwell; Tanner Trosper, West Middle; and Rachel Trout, Woodleaf.