A DC Odyssey...the finale

Ok, I know we had a specific purpose to this odyssey and that was The Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor, Maryland. Our #1 placed first in the regional bee and was thus granted a spot in the national bee so, off we went.

winning the regional

Two years prior, #1 placed second in the regional and I was grateful that we didn't have to go to the nationals. I know that might sound terrible from a mother but I didn't think it would be the greatest trip for our family at the time. So, to an even greater degree, when she won this year, I knew it was her time. Point of fact - you age out after 8th grade so, truly, this was the now-or-never year.

We would find out that the 8th grade thing was kind of a big deal, but not in the way you would think...so, off we went.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette was wonderful in their gifting to us a hotel room for the week, a per diem, and gas money. We couldn't stuff everyone in the room so I grabbed a fairly inexpensive vrbo nearby and we used the hotel as a decompression/hospitality room which was a wonderful gift.

Arriving with the other 550+ spellers on Sunday, we lined up, first to gather our "Bee" materials, then to check into the hotel. We were able to meet another of the spellers from PA and settle in a bit. I'm not sure the kids had ever been to a convention center and the sheer size was kind of impressive to little people so we spent some time walking around.

Monday morning was the written exam. We hung out in the room upstairs while our speller sat with all the others to take the test. Let's just say it was pretty intense. If you're interested, you can try your skill HERE.

the first page of the test...

The results were not immediate but our speller thought she did ok so, on to Tuesday and Wednesday, where she and the other spellers would take the stage once each day to spell a word. If the speller correctly spelled both words, their fate rested on the written exam. If a speller was incorrect on their word on day two or three, they were automatically eliminated. She spelled both correctly, including

The first word was equally odd and obscure. It was great, though, that she was able to achieve the goals she set- to greet Dr. Bailly in Latin and ask if the root of this word derived from the Greek, meaning "foot". She said she would, and she did ;0)

It was pretty cool to watch my little girl standing in the spotlight, her picture flashed on the big screen, spell like she knows how...because she does have an amazing gift for language. How wonderful to watch God's instrument in action.

Chatting before the round with some friends she had made

At the end of day 3, we awaited the results - if she scored high enough, she was invited onto the stage that evening for the announcement of the final 50 spellers. We were thrilled to find out that, even with a 26/30, she had indeed made it into the top 100 spellers! We headed to the ballroom to see her stand onstage with her 99 companions and wait for the announcement. 

Since most of you know the rest of the story, I'll make it brief. She stood and waited for the fifty names to be called and, when she wasn't among them, her time at the Bee was done. She was understandably sad and we headed back to the house to decompress and regroup. 

It was heartbreaking to see my little girl so unhappy but, considering everything, I'm astounded at the result. She showed amazing drive toward her goal - once she won the regional, she spent many, many hours, compiling and studying Greek and Latin roots, mainly on her own. As the days passed, we realized she was competing against kids who were many-time attendees (who knew, you could go to the Nationals when you are in 4th grade?) and who were heavily coached for those many years. 

Yes, I did say coached. We found out that spelling is like any other sport. If you want to win it takes not only your God-given talent but, also, much time and many dollars. There is an 18-year-old runner-up from Oklahoma who promotes his services as a coach - and his fee is quite reasonable, comparatively:

My rate: $130/Hour

Brainsy’s rate: $200/Hour

Hexco’s rate: $2,100 for eight sessions or $262.50/Hour

Remember, this isn't just an hour or two of coaching - it's multiple hours per week for months...sometimes years. 

Finally, there is this thing called the RSVBee. If you are a former attendee of Nationals (remember...4th grade - or younger) but for whatever reason didn't win your regional (perhaps because you sat out to study) you can enter under this program...$1,000 and a guarantee of 6 nights at the host hotel will get you onto the National stage once again. After that, it's up to you and your prep to see how far you go.

These are things that, if you plan to go to the Bee, you should know in advance. As I said, not knowing this, preparing all on her own, and still finishing in the top 10%...I think that's a pretty prodigious achievement ;0) It seems I was not alone in that thought...the beautiful sentiments from family and friends have literally been enough to fill a book (birthday gift...coming up!)

Besides, it was wonderful to see her meet, in person, a boy from ALASKA who won his local bee and had spent the last year in online science with her...

It was also neat to do the "press circuit" and watch her give interviews...

and it was fun to run around National Harbor

She was at the finals, watching the kids she'd gotten to know compete

including a restaurant with an excellent poem on all the walls and an even more excellent raw platter. y.u.m.

our giant 7-year-old

and wonderful to visit Pat's uncle's grave at Arlington

 and  the National Museum of the Marine Corps (which will be another entry sometime but, for now...totally hysterical) our military men and women!

and I think, most of all, seeing her sibs come to her aid when she was sad about losing. Siblings, as I always say, are the best.

So, that's the odyssey. Definitely a spiritual and intellectual wandering. I'm happy we took the trip and happy it's over. It was a good experience in many ways. I'm sure it will be a life-long family memory. We are blessed.