People like to watch many musicals and cooking competitions, but have you noticed that they all deal with adults? Adults normally get many opportunities to show their abilities but kids hardly get enough room to do so. But there is a time when kids have to go through increasing degrees of difficulty, and it’s the American kid’s toughest competition: The National Spelling Bee.
The Spelling Bee originated in the US, although now it is common in many English-speaking countries. The first documented case of a Spelling Bee was in 1825. But the first official National Spelling Bee was held in 1925, and was sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal. There were nine finalists who competed in that first spelling bee in the nation’s capitol. Frank Neuhauser was the very first winner of an official Spelling Bee at just the age of 11.
There is no black and yellow colored bee present, so if you are wondering how “bee” is attached to “spelling” it is because in the English-speaking world, the word “bee” means “meeting in a group of people or in gathering, where people combine for work, competition, and pleasure”.
On March 25, the 45th annual U-T San Diego Countywide Spelling Bee competition was held in the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park. Ninety-two top students from the 7th and 8th grades participated in the event with Allison Grygar, from St. Michael’s School, as she won with the final word spelled as “Gurgled”. Now she will represent San Diego at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Allison will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 27-29, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The final competition is expected to be aired on ESPN.
As an observer, it was a great event to see the excitement, confidence, and at times confusion of the students. While watching the event, you will not only get chance to see the emotional roller coaster of the parents and kids, but you will also go through them yourself!
The article was written on October 2014
