Spelling Bee for Senior Citizens

Who says spelling bees are only for elementary school children? While I try to follow the annual spelling bee competition each year, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a spelling bee competition targeted only to individuals who are fifty years of age and over. So, if you would like to try your skill or show off your spelling prowess, a trip to Wyoming may be your destiny! As a child I was and still am fascinated by the annual spelling bee and I frequently follow the yearly results to see whether I can spell the winning championship word. At times I knew the correct spelling while at other times I would have gone down in graceful defeat! I am occasionally haunted by two separate incidents in my life when I misspelled the word "adenoids" and lost a chance to represent my school in the Washington, DC annual spelling bee competition. My second regret is missing out on a perfect spelling score on my 10th grade final English exam by misspelling "accommodation." In both cases, I changed my original spelling which was correct. Lesson learned: in a spelling bee, go with your first instinct.

Eligibility
To compete you must be at least 50 years of age. The yearly competition is sponsored by AARP (American Association for Retired Persons). The competition is held in June of each year in Cheyenne, Wyoming and was started in 1996 by local community members who shared a love of spelling. Promoters have offered an attractive package for contestants and their families. Win or lose, you certainly are a guaranteed winner when you partake of Wyoming's abundant and varied historic sightseeing attractions.

How to Prepare for Competition
Some states host regional spelling bees and if successful, you advance to the national rounds. Since all states do not offer preliminary competition rounds, you can prepare for competition by studying word lists prepared by Merriam-Webster, authors of the dictionary known by the same name. Of course you can peruse the dictionary and make your own study word list. You can never learn too many words. Merriam-Webster offers the option of sending you a daily email with a word complete with its definition and word origin. It's a fun way to learn new words in a pleasant and easy format. As with any good study plan, be diligent and appoint an allotted daily period of time for study.

Reasons to Compete
Besides the desire to win the first place $500 prize, $200 second place prize and 3rd place prize of $200, competing offers the opportunity to meet other like word wizards who enjoy the English language and share an insatiable thirst for being a perfect speller. In today's society, where children no longer write in complete sentences, text messages in abbreviated shorthand and often do not know or care to know the quaint and obscure variations of spelling words, the adult spelling bee allows us to capture a time from long ago when teachers drilled their students in rote spelling lessons. New friendships are often made during the competition and some attend these yearly spelling bees each year. Contestants are allowed to return year after year.

Another reason to enter the adult spelling bee is you can mix business with pleasure by combining your participation in the Senior spelling bee with a vacation. The Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce has a varied package of attractions to consider and family members can combine attendance to the Senior Spelling Bee with a family vacation package. Hotel accommodations and flight information are available. There are no losers in this deal!

So, dust off your dictionary and consider competing the the annual adult spelling bee. Challenge yourself to study for future competitions. After all, what do you have to lose? You will gain more in the experience than you will ever lose! For more information, visit the website www.aarp.org and click on leisure activities for results of the June 2010 competition; the rules and regulations are listed on the website. Go ahead, cast a spell!