National Spelling Bee

I like the National Spelling Bee. Going on right now in our nation's capital is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis. Spellers from all over the country and the world, ranging in age from 8-14, compete for the title of Spelling Champion.

Since 1994, the Entertainment Sports Network (aka ESPN) has been covering the annual convention of vowels and consonants. (NOTE: I just misspelled "consonants"--meaning I couldn't hold a candle to these kids). And while some may ask, "Where is the sport in this?" I say watch this video and tell me that the Srcipps Spelling Bee is not high-intensity drama, that which rivals any Game 7.

The kid fainted, then got back up and spelled the word CORRECTLY! Is that the equivalent of getting a puck to the face in Hockey, stitching up the gash in the locker room, and coming back out to score the winning goal in overtime? I say yes.

In a society where we rely so heavily on spell check, it is even more impressive that these kids can spell as well as they do. If you are looking for some riveting television, the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee will air live tonight at 8PM on ABC.