OK, I'll admit - it was fun - albeit a bit stressful - but for a good cause - the Spelling Bee proceeds went to the School Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization that supports local Public Schools. Over 30 teams competed, with the top three teams winning Funds towards Physical Education or Playground equipment for their school of choice.
Our team - "M.A.A.C. - Mothers Against Auto-Correct"
We all chose spelling related quotes on the backs of our t-shirts, thanks to the wit and creativity of friend / teammate / neighbor Jill.
The format of the event loosely followed the Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee rules, where we were required to spell the given word orally and against the 30 second countdown clock. The format - you state the given word, spell it, then repeat the given word. So - if the word you are given is "pizza" (and yes, this was one of the words, just so you get a feel for the complexity we're talking about here!), the speller states "pizza.... p-i-z-z-a .... pizza".
The first round "swarms" were pretty informal and held at separate corners of the facility. The winner of this three team competition advanced to the final round. The final round teams competed head to head on the Main stage, in front of all sorts of spectators, spelling into the microphone.
Well, "M.A.A.C." didn't advance to the big stage with its spotlight and scary microphone. Because I messed up the word "invincible". See, it's a lonnnnggg-ish word and I'm not good remembering what I've stated, and I have to spell things out with my finger as I'm speaking. Or have the word written out in front of me because those nerves can get to you when you are under pressure. I was also fixated on making sure I got the "i-b-l-e" at the end. As a result, I spelled the word as "i-n-v-i-c-i-b-l-e". Too many "n"'s to remember!
With the pressure off, we watched as our friends competed on stage. We were hopeful they would place in the top three, as the teams were dropping like flies (or dead bees). The team that won our first round swarm only made it to their second word before being eliminated. The word - "bouillon" - because who would think to put that "i" before the two "l's"?
Our friends finished in fourth place - watch them spell the name of a certain disease:
I know apple devices don't support flash, so here is the link to the video, taken by friend-teammate, Kellie.
It's tricky - There are two 'h's in "diphtheria" - yes, they didn't get the first "h" and I certainly didn't know that silent 'h' was there! And yes, I had to google it after they were eliminated.
So, we're not Invincible and I humbly admit that I used the spell checker while writing this blog post! Next year, I'll practice more and practice spelling things out loud. Maybe my daughter (who won her 5th grade spelling bee at school) will enter with some friends. I bet a team of high school students would give the adults a run for their money....
