A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

TABLE-SETTERS: Ben Nuckols on how former Bee contestants have stayed involved (including frequent ALOTT5MA guest Amy Goldstein), and the Richmond Times-Dispatch profiles two-time prime-timer Tejas Muthusamy, the 7th grader who's much of a favorite as we've got this year:

“This year has been a little bit tough,” he said Friday. “It’s been a lot. But I’ve tried to not just focus on spelling because, obviously, spelling is just one part of my life. I kind of want to, you know, try different things because I’ll never be able to get that opportunity back.”

Along with preparing and competing in spelling bees, Tejas writes for the school’s newspaper, practices classical Indian dancing and is a voracious reader who follows politics closely.

Tejas says two of the biggest lessons he has learned from competing the past few years are how to deal with defeat and how to grow from adversity. In the past, he would cry and leave the room when he missed a word or did not do well.

“Now, even if I don’t do so well, I take it as, ‘OK, I need to do better next time. How can I do better next time?’ ” he said. “That’s something most people get when they become adults. But I think in the spelling bee, kids mature much faster because of all the life lessons that are being thrown at them.”