Bits of Advice for Bee Week

The 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee was won by Ananya Vinay of California. The 2018 Bee is only two weeks away--who do you think is going to win this year's Bee? (Cliff Owen / AP)

          The last year has flown by, and the 91st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is only two weeks away! If it's your first time competing, you might not entirely know what to expect, so here are my top five pieces of advice for Bee Week (in no particular order):

1. Study some while you're there. The key word here is some. You definitely want to be prepared for the Bee, which does require some last-second studying, but definitely don't isolate yourself the entire week. Study some, but do other things as well. That brings me to my next thing:
2. Talk to people. I know it might feel like you're just there to compete, but I can't emphasize enough how important it is to go to the events like the barbecue and the opening ceremony and socialize with other spellers. Get signatures in your Beekeeper, and try to make a few new friends. (Speller friends are the best kind of friends, and you'll probably stay in touch with some of them for a long time.) 
3. Eat a good breakfast, especially on competition days. There were a few days during my first Bee Week where I ate little to nothing for breakfast because I felt so nervous, and this was a mistake. As unnecessary or unwanted as it might seem, eat something before you go onstage in the mornings. It will help you focus and be the best speller you can be. (This also applies before going onstage in the afternoon or evening, but since people have greater tendencies to skip breakfast (as I did), this was a main focus.
4. Ask every single question on every single word. Don't skip asking for the definition just because you think you don't need it. Give yourself ample time and resources to really examine the word at hand, even if you already know it. Make sure you're thinking of the right word and the right spelling, and whatever you do, never jump straight into spelling the word.
5. Be prepared to accept any outcome. Envision yourself winning. It truly does work wonders for confidence, which is key onstage (although it's no substitute for diligent studying). However, also be prepared to miss a word at any point in the Bee. Remember that you've already accomplished so much just in your preparations for the Bee, and the experience matters more than the place you get.

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