THE FIVE-TIMERS CLUB: What's it all like? Guest commentator Samir Patel, one of our favorites on the blog, explains:
The first year was really an eye-opening experience for me. I'd won the North South National Spelling Bee two years before at age 7, but competition there was nothing compared to Scripps. After making it through the Star-Telegram Regional bee to Scripps, I wasn't really expecting to do all that well -- after all, it was my first year, and I didn't think I stood a chance against older kids who'd been preparing much more seriously for a far longer time.
Well, obviously, I came in 3rd, which was a lot better than I expected. I was slightly disappointed at first, because as the competition had gone on and it was down to the final few, I thought I had a chance to win it -- and of course, as often happens, I knew every word except the one I missed [boudin]. That first year made me determined to study even more to do better the next year, y'know? I wanted that success again.
But after a few years, especially during the very last year, I started experiencing the burnout effect. Each year I'd been studying harder, but I'd gotten mixed results... again, luck of the draw. Looking back, I think some of the most important lessons learned from the Bee were persistence even in the face of obstacles and being able to accept that circumstances won't always be in your control.
As for what he's doing now:
I'm 17 now. I just graduated from high school as well as from North Lake College, a community college near Dallas, with an associate's degree in science. I'm attending UT Dallas in the fall for a bachelor's of science in biochemistry, minoring in business. My educational goals include a PhD in Chemical Engineering as well as an MBA.
Now I am... a Citizen on Patrol [police volunteer] for the City of Colleyville. A Clark Scholar [40hr/week summer research program] at UT-Dallas. Student Assistant for developmental math courses at North Lake College.
I believe that a lot of the linguistic skills as well as the work ethic I developed in the spelling bee enabled me to succeed in college coursework that I took for dual credit starting in fall 2007 [a few months after my last spelling bee, when I started my freshman year of high school at 13.] The media frenzy around the bee also taught me a lot of lessons about losing gracefully, facing your mistakes, and the art of communicating with broad audiences. On a lighter note, some of the prize money from the Bee went towards my first car.
(Added:)
After the spelling bee was over, I've had time to work on a lot of other hobbies and extracurricular activities. NSB preparation, at least the way I did it, doesn't leave a whole lot of time for other things. Some of my activities have been spelling-related -- I wrote for the North Lake News-Register [the college newspaper] for three years, and I'm pretty sure I was the only person never to make a typo. I was an officer in two different college honor societies -- Phi Theta Kappa and Mu Alpha Theta -- which allowed me to meet some great people and develop a lot of leadership skills. I was a high school debater for several years. I also write creatively... one of my short stories is being published this summer in Duck Soup, the college's literary magazine. I'm working on several novels. I also like playing guitar and songwriting. I like the Halo series of video games a lot, and I still occasionally play Roller Coaster Tycoon [old-school, I know]. I've become relatively handy with consumer electronics -- one of my friends taught me how to replace computer hardware and install/solder guitar pickups. I tutor students for various college and high school classes as well as the SAT and ACT [funny story: during high school, I was interviewed, trained, and hired by North Lake as well as a private SAT prep company as a tutor, but was released when HR found out I was 15/16.]
The only reason I'm saying all this -- for any kids who are in the spelling bee now -- trust me, win or lose, life goes on after the spelling bee. So many people told me that, but I didn't believe them. Well, they were right. The spelling bee opened up a lot of doors for me and prepared me for a lot of life experiences, but all that time you spent on studying spelling can now be used for other things. Years later, when you look back at the spelling bee, you'll remember all the friends you made, not where you placed which year. So enjoy yourselves! It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
