The inspired and the inspirational
Boomer Blog - Shirley Scott
I can’t help myself. When ESPN airs its promos for the National Spelling Bee, I feel compelled to tune in. Mostly happy childhood memories from my own inborn spelling talent make me the perfect audience member for any event involving correctly arranging the letters of words – just for the sport of it.
There is, however, a frequent niggle in my brain that the 21st century version of this traditional academic competition differs vastly from the initial contest in 1925. The televised show currently resembles a modern sporting event with commentators and a sideline interviewer quizzing middle schoolers mere seconds after they have misspelled themselves into elimination. Commercial breaks, glitz, and confetti abound. And when I watched in 2019 – the pandemic wiped out last year’s contest – eight champions were crowned because the adults could not organize a wordlist challenging enough to narrow the field further.