State Spelling Bee

It was a cold and blustery Saturday morning. I arrived at the Columbus Convention Center early for the Columbus Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee. Signs inside led me to a large, wide hallway that was bustling with people. I proceeded to the table marked "Registration". I told them my name and they handed me a packet of information and my contestant number. Then they showed me where I had to have my picture taken.

After I had my picture taken, I entered the room where the spelling bee was held. The room was large and dimly lit. It was gradually filling with people. After several minutes a man took the podium. He introduced himself and then started calling all one hundred twenty spellers to their assigned seats in the audience, one by one in chronological order. I was number six so I was called up close to the beginning.

After all of the spellers had taken their seats the awards ceremony began. Each speller was called up individually to receive his medal. It took several minutes but finally all of the spellers had received their award. The first man at the podium introduced the pronouncer and then gave the pronouncer the podium.

When the pronouncer first started to talk I was surprised by his accent. He then introduced the four judges. Three of them were authors and the fourth was a college student who had placed third in the national spelling bee. The pronouncer then asked the first twenty spellers to take the stage.

From the stage I could see the whole audience, the judges, and the pronouncer. The judges table was directly in front of the stage and the pronouncer's podium was off to the side of the stage stage. The pronouncer asked the first speller to approach the microphone and spell the word.

After the first five spellers, it was my turn. Nervously I stepped up to the podium to receive my word. I was shocked to hear the pronouncer say that my word was "predicate". Easily I rattled off P-R-E-D-I-C-A-T-E. The judges nodded at me and I sat down. After the other fourteen spellers in my group were done we exited the stage and the next twenty spellers took the stage. This cycle continued until all one hundred twenty spellers had taken their turn on stage. The pronouncer announced the end of Round One. Only about half of the spellers remained. We were given a short break before the start of Round Two.

By the time I took the stage for Round Two, I was pretty convinced that I would get out that round. I was the fourth speller because others before me had already misspelled a word in Round One. When it came to my turn I approached the microphone for my next word. The pronouncer said my word was "vagabond". At first I was scared because the word sounded unfamiliar but then I thought about it and nervously spelled V-A-G-A-B-O-N-D. I was surprised to see the judges nod. Feeling relieved, I took my seat. The rest of the spellers spelled, or at least attempted to spell their word and Round Two came to an end.

Round Three was rumored to be the round where the words got very hard. Only about forty spellers remained so chairs were added to the stage so that all the spellers could be on stage at once. I was the second speller. The first speller missed his word and I nervously stepped up to the microphone, knowing for sure that I would go out on whatever word I would get. I listened carefully as the pronouncer said my word was "presidio". I was shocked that I had gotten such an easy word in Round Three, and confidently rattled off P-R-E-S-I-D-I-O. The judges nodded and I took my seat.

By the end of Round Three, only eighteen spellers remained. I was the first speller. The pronouncer gave me the word "calyx". I had never heard of the word so I asked for the language of origin. One of the judges said "Latin" so I immediately knew that the word had to start with a "c" instead of a "k". I was not sure about the rest of the word though. I assumed that since the word was Latin the long "a" could likely be spelled "ae". Hoping that I had the first three letters correct I started spelling "C-A-E". Right when I said 'e" I knew that I had spelled the word wrong because one of the judges stopped following each letter on her paper with a pen and just put a mark next to the word. Knowing that I had misspelled, I continued "L-I-C-S". I heard the dreaded "ding" of the bell and I calmly left the stage. I went and sat by my parents to see who would win.

After me, the next ten or fifteen spellers misspelled their words. It appeared that possibly all of the spellers in that round would misspell, making everyone in that round tie and therefore have to start the round over, but then three in a row correctly spelled their words. I was a little disappointed, as I watched the three battle for first, second, and third. By then I had a massive headache and was ready to go home but it appeared that the fifteen spellers that got out in Round Four would have to have a spell-off to determine fourth place. One of the three remaining spellers easily took first place but the other two began a long battle for second. They went back and forth twenty-eight words before one finally came out victorious. I grew more and more annoyed as they went back and forth because my headache was growing unbearable and I was just ready to go home.

Finally the time came to break the fifteen way fourth place tie. I spelled first in the tiebreaker round. I wasn't nervous at all by then because most people had left and I knew this was just for fourth place. I took the microphone, ready to get it over with. The pronouncer gave me the word "commensurate". Feeling the pain of my headache, I didn't even bother thinking about the spelling. I threw out the letters "C-O-M-M-E-N-S-O-R-A-T-E. The judge "dinged" the bell and I left the stage, happy that I could finally go home.

Even though I didn't win, it was a great experience, and I wish that I wouldn't be too old to do it again next year.