Spelling Bee Update

I got to the auditorium early enough to purchase a promotional poster. I was a bit nervous...I didn't quite know what to expect.

I sat near the back of the auditorium so that I could slip out early (I was leaving for Mexico the next day and hadn't yet packed).

Lots of crazy people were running around sporting bee paraphernalia--"bee"ly-bopper headbands, yellow and black clothing, bee costumes.

Then the local junior high drum corps starting pounding on their drums...a call to order of sorts. But in a crowd of very WASPy white people, one hardly knew how to react to the sudden thundering barrage.

The spellers must have heard the battle cry, because they started streaming in the back door at a wicked fast pace. Costumed, beaming, and greeted by the roaring cheers of their supporters.

After some small talk by the hosting non-profit, the spellers began. Those of you that follow spelling bees would have recognized many familiar sights: A panel of judges, a "caller," the lone microphone positioned center stage, electric anticipation in the air.

However, this bee was a bit different:

• Spellers worked in teams, representing a sponsoring local business (who paid a $500 entrance fee/donation for the opportunity to participate)
• Spellers had pencil and paper, and could jot down the word as it was called out...and
• Could verify the spelling with their teammates before going to the mike.
• Audience members had large screens on both sides of the stage, upon the words were spelled correctly, so that they could follow along

How crestfallen we all were to see the first speller fall! Everything was cracking along beautifully when one poor young man, in a fit of over-confidence, decided to spell from memory rather than check what he had jotted down on his paper. Awful.

Then the second one fell. It was the local law firm. Their first year in the bee. Awful.

If one team member misspelled, the whole team was evicted.

So the 100+ adults on the stage thinned out much more quickly than I had originally anticipated that they might.

I kept thinking that I was visiting a set of a movie...like Best in Show, but for spelling! I had a really dumb grin on my face the whole time. The audience appeared to be a fairly tight-knit community. I got more than one sideways glance as they tried to figure out what neighborhood I was from.

How very bizarre and wonderful 'twas the night.

I couldn't stay for the whole thing. I meant to look up the results in the paper, but I've neglected to do so and now it's too late.

Next year I hope to be there.

On the stage.