Kelly Lecker: It takes a team to support young spellers

The crowd would have joined him if they could.

In a tense final, six spellers went multiple rounds in which nobody missed a word. Then, when two of the last three spellers on stage missed their words, Faizan shocked the crowd with a bit of bravado when he rushed to spell his word without asking any questions and, three letters in, realized it was the wrong word. The other two spellers returned to raucous cheers from the audience to try again, but in the end Faizan proved himself to be the best speller after all.

Last year's runner-up wins National Spelling Bee

This is high drama, and it’s not just for the packed crowd in the room. The national spelling bee is televised live across the country and streamed online.

A small spelling bee team works all year for this, supported at the event by staff of the E.W. Scripps Company. A week of activities gives all spellers a chance to connect, see the sites and have some fun. The competition itself spans two full days and an evening, a grueling marathon for both the spellers and the organizers.

It’s a competition of words, yes, but more than that the week is designed to celebrate high academic achievement, the brainy kids often left out of pep rallies reserved for sports. For this, they should be commended.

The results are undeniable. About 40 previous national champions returned to the bee this year for its 100th anniversary, including Wisconsin’s only national champion, Joanne Lagatta. Their resumes include surgeon and biotech engineer.

From the beginning of the bee in 1925, spellers have spanned all races and income levels. Some are as young as 8 and others are 13-year-olds competing for the last time before entering high school.

After 100 years, the national bee isn't really about spelling

Balu Natarajan, who was crowned champion in 1985 when I competed in the national bee, was the first Indian American speller to win the bee. Since then, at least 30 Indian Americans have taken the title, something Natarajan attributed in part to community pride.

Scripps believes in the power of words, and that’s something the bee shares with the Wisconsin State Journal, which has sponsored the state spellers for 76 years.

It takes great effort and resources to run the bee program every year, and we’re lucky to have people involved who believe in celebrating academic success.

The path to the national stage starts with a school bee, with 11 million school spellers across the country this year. School winners move on to the regional bees run by the Cooperative Educational Service Agency in each region. These CESA organizers deserve great credit for the hard work they put into organizing those bees and giving students a chance to excel.

One letter keeps Wisconsin speller from national bee finals

The top regional spellers move onto the state bee. Jane McMahon, a retired teacher, organizes the Madison All-City Bee and the Badger State Spelling Bee. She makes sure everything runs smoothly, that rules are followed and everyone has fun. This takes months of behind-the-scenes organizing and communication with spellers and regional directors.

But what spellers see is McMahon and her group of volunteers giving words of support to each speller who walks in the door. They calm nervous spellers and remind each one how far they’ve come.

To give state spellers the support they deserve, Wisconsin State Journal opinion editor Scott Milfred and his neighbor, Brian Stouffer, lead a tailgate to celebrate each child before they compete.

Of course, a whole lot of credit goes to the parents who support the spellers, drive them to bees and comfort them if they’re eliminated.

Jacob Martonito of Appleton and Ethan Robert of New Berlin represented Wisconsin well this year, and their parents helped them study, cheered them on and consoled them at the sound of the dreaded bell alerting spellers to an incorrect word. They understood that the experience mattered just as much as the competition.

These boys should be proud. Eleven million spellers took a stage late last year at the beginning of this journey, and they were among fewer than 250 standing on a national stage. I’m appreciative of the team who stood behind them to make this happen.

Get to know Wisconsin's best spellers as they head to the national bee