photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Wyatt Markham practices drawing a map of the World from memory on April 19, 2024, in rural Douglas County.

It’s one thing to study a list of words for a spelling bee. But it’s another thing entirely to memorize more than a hundred facts about geography, Latin, science and more and recite them on cue.

That’s exactly what 12-year-old Wyatt Markham, of Lawrence, is preparing to do in next month’s National Memory Master Competition in North Carolina.

Wyatt is one of just 16 kids who will compete for a $10,000 prize on May 2 at the national competition, which is organized by the faith-based homeschooling program Classical Conversations Foundation. Part of the contest works a little bit like a traditional spelling bee, but instead of giving contestants words to spell, the judges will prompt them for one of 171 facts that they’ve had to memorize.

As you might expect, Wyatt, the self-proclaimed “Professor Knows-A-Lot,” has an eclectic training regimen. Some of the facts he has to know are from ancient times; others are from the present day; and they’re from all kinds of subjects — mathematics, history, science, geography, English and Latin.

“I would consider Latin, for me, to be the most fun,” Wyatt said.

He’s been studying vocabulary, conjugation and declensions in the classical language, and he said he is also memorizing certain Bible verses in both English and Latin.

But at his family’s rural Lawrence home, you’re just as likely to find him practicing his geography skills by drawing a map of the Earth from memory. Producing a map of all of the countries in the world is part of the competition, too, and Wyatt says he’s still working on it.

“… I haven’t learned yet how to recite without the map,” Wyatt said. “I can point to a place on the map, but not without.”

His favorite part of the map might be one of the trickiest for most people to remember — Western Asia, where all the “Stans” are, like Uzbekistan, Pakistan and many more.

“I have had lots of fun drawing that, and it intrigues me,” he says.”

To get into the competition in the first place, among other things, Wyatt had to demonstrate his skills on video. He recorded an economics lesson that began with ancient civilizations — like the Aztecs using cacao beans as currency — and moved on to cover several economic structures across the globe and throughout history.

That’s another big difference from a spelling bee — part of the contest is more freeform and is judged based on the delivery. Wyatt’s mom, Britney Markham, said the contestants in that part of the competition “will be graded and judged on their speaking skills,” not just on whether they give the right answer.

If Wyatt wins the contest, he said he might save some of the money for college, but he would also tithe some to his church — and maybe buy a go-kart.

Not all of Wyatt’s time is spent studying, of course. He’s also big on tennis, and hopes to play it professionally one day.

“Well, I want to be a pro tennis player,” he said. “I don’t really know after that. That might only take up until I’m 40 or so.”

He’s also fond of spending time with his younger siblings, Miles and Sadie, and Britney said he’s an inspiration to them — not just because of what he has accomplished but because they know about the hard work he has put into it.

Wyatt says doing something like the Memory Master contest is all about the effort.

“Usually it’s the will to do it. Some people might be scared to try it out,” he said. But even if you don’t win, “it’s fine because you’re going to learn something from it.”

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Wyatt Markham practices his tennis swing on April 19, 2024, at his rural Douglas County home.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Left to right, Wyatt Markham, his brother Miles, mother Britney, and sister Sadie, on April 19, 2024, at their rural Douglas County home.