Only one event has all this and more. I am talking of course about the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. Where 9 year olds take on veteran 14 year olds. Where the sound of a bell doesn't signal the beginning but the end. Where the possibility of duel champions is present yet hasn't happened in over 40 years. Where young women and young men battle head-to-head on the same playing field. where makeup, contacts, and a hair brush is frowned on. See this sport isn't about looks. the weirder you sound and look the more you can intimidate one of the zillions of other spellers. Where being homeschooled is not only coold but an eery advantage.
Unpredictable? Look at the young Samir. He is in his 3rd or 4th Bee now and still hasn't won. He was in the final four when he was like four? He is most definetely the greatest speller to never win the Bee. You think Phil Mickleson had pressure? Try carrying that label at age TWELVE!!!!
After watching the great Katharine Close win the Bee right now I knew I was witnessing greatness. No "repeat the definition please" from her. No "language of origin?" She would just ask the word and meaning and S.P.E.L.L. the mother. Unshakeable confidence. She laughed when she got her word Ursprache to win it all. Saying after I was just glad they said "Ursprache." She spelled it like no one had ever spelled it before. This girl knew the whole dictionary people.
What makes them even more impressive is the consistency and the age they do it all at. I mean if I went back to early middle school I am pretty sure I would domin8 just about every sport. But I would not be able to outspell these little 4 eyed nosepickers. I watched about 4 hourse of Bee coverage yesterday. And I don't just watch I join the competition. Me against my wife with a pen and a paper. We see who can get the most words right. We can spell until the word pops up on the screen. If its not spelled by then were out. I whooped my wife in that game. But you know how many I got correct in 4 hours? nine. Nine. A college graduate spelled 9 correctly. My wife just got her masters in teaching and she spelled 4 correctly. Roughly one word per hour. These kids are incredible.
Last but not least I want to let everyone know that I saw this greatness first. Before ABC put them in primetime I have been watching since ESPN first started airing. I have seen the documentary Spellbound and I have been glued to anything BEE for years. Just wanted to add that. Oh and I am not going to spell check this post, but I am sure if I did plenty of errors would come up.
Practice... we talking about practice?" 
