Biography

Hey! I am Cole Shafer-Ray, a junior in high school from Norman, Oklahoma.

I am very passionate about spelling.  I was a three-time participant in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, written test perfect-score recipient, and runner-up in 2015.

Some traits that could describe me: determined, resilient, enthusiastic, perfectionist, competitive, hard-working, driven, thorough, and focused on excellence.  I’m very committed to being the best in whatever I do.

I’ve been involved with spelling bees for the past 9 years, so I am about as knowledgeable as one could be about anything and everything spelling-related.  This not only includes sheer spelling and vocabulary knowledge, such as extensive root knowledge, language rules, and a profound base knowledge of words, but I’ve also been around long enough to know how it all works, down to the finest detail.  I’ve done enough analysis of past competitions to know exactly which lists to study (or disregard), as well as the Do’s and Don’ts of spelling study (i.e. how much of my time should I spend devoted to vocabulary?)  I know what it takes to succeed at the very highest level, and even win.

I play soccer, run cross country, and am involved in my school’s math, Spanish, and academic clubs and the National Honor Society.  I am a friendly and enthusiastic person who’s pretty down-to-earth and who loves working with other people.

I would be extremely committed in taking you to the next level.  If you are a speller looking to advance past your regional bee and into the later stages of the National Spelling Bee, consider having me as your coach!