ANTICIPATION: Day 2. Hopefully the kids were able to get at least a little bit of sleep last night, but the nerves remain, obviously. After Day 1 for me, my dad, who had arrived in time for spelling on Day 1 with some family friends in tow to support me, insisted that we take a walk and go out for dinner. It was probably the best thing he could have done. I was able to forget about words and microphones and bright lights shining on the stage for at least a little while, eating and laughing and regaling my father with tales of the events that had already transpired.
We headed back to the hotel, where many of the kids who had already been eliminated were congregating, eating ice cream and playing games and generally blowing off some of the steam that had been gathering for the weeks and months heading into the Bee. I hung around for a bit, talking with them and some of the other kids who would be joining me in another day of spelling, and then headed off to bed.
The morning of Day 2 started with a fight with my mom about what I wanted to wear (these were the days before those nifty Bee polo shirts came about). I had brought two dresses, one a striped minidress but still appropriate, especially seeing as it was the early 80s, and a much more traditional one (think puffed-sleeve prairie blouse) that I had been planning to wear for the gala banquet on Friday night. Mom wanted me to wear the traditional dress in case there was TV coverage, but I stubbornly insisted on wearing the minidress, which I thought was just so much cuter. I won that battle, and giggled when I ended up on ABC's World News in Dick Schaap's annual piece about the Bee. Of course, these were the days before cell phones, so we didn't know that I was going to be part of the segment until we actually saw it on TV, so I sadly don't have a copy of it for posterity.
Anyway, I had the minidress and my good luck charm, a little clippy koala bear that I clutched throughout the spelling, until the bell rang for me on "muniments." I was sad and mad at myself, naturally, until I was (much later) able to get some 13-year-old perspective on my 18th-place finish.
After a little time in the Crying Room, I rejoined my family and friends and watched the rest of the Bee. I was so happy when Blake won -- the person who placed second was someone I was not particularly fond of, mostly because he had signed my autograph book early in the week with "Future Bee Winner," and I admit to giggling a bit to myself when he misspelled a word that is now part of the American lexicon thanks to an animated cooking mouse. He was much nicer at the final banquet, too, because I think he realized how bad he felt about missing a relatively easy word when he had been so cocky all week.
I wish all the remaining spellers the best of luck today. Your accomplishments and your poise and grace under pressure are amazing. Take a deep breath and go to it!
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