We started Friday off heading down to the Independence Ball Room in the Grand Hyatt to watch the semi-finals of the Bee. The media was all over anyone who had a spellers badge on. I talked with NPR but didn’t make the cut on the radio. We had to leave before the semi round was over to make an appointment with Congressman Dave Camp’s office at 2 p.m.

The Capitol Building was amazing. Everything from the floor to the ceiling had some sort of artistic design on it. Marble, columns, and more marble! We saw Chandler and Cass statues from the state of Michigan. This was the first time that I had heard of these two fellas from Michigan. We went from rotunda minor to rotunda major where JFK to Ronald Regan laid in state for public viewing. More »

Well, I spelled my one and only word yesterday, “sidereal.” My paper test score was not enough to carry me into the quarter final round.

What I have learned today cannot be taught in a classroom. I learned that patience, as well as hard work and determination, are the keys to success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. What I have found that is important to me, even though I lost this time, is the support of my family, friends, and the support of my community has renewed my determination to reach the National Spelling Bee in the future. More »

This morning, bright and early, I will be on stage spelling my last word of the preliminary round. If I successfully spell this word correctly, three points will be added to my paper round total. Sometime around 12 p.m. I will know if I’m headed to the quarter finals or to the audience to root on my fellow bee friends. Either way this has been and adventure of a life time. More »

Tuesday morning my parents and I got on a bus along with all the other spellers and their entourage to go to Turkey Run. Turkey Run is a wooded park with pavilions, numerous sports areas and an 18th century working farm. We were able to sample food such as BBQ chicken, Edy’s ice cream and snow cones. I met kids from New Zealand, Canada, to California and every imaginable place in between. At 3 p.m. we were pretty tired and headed back to the hotel.

Wednesday is the trip to the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center. This is an aerospace center set up by the Smithsonian Institute in an old airplane hanger at Dulles Airport. It contains everything from flight simulators to the Enola Gay. It no doubt will be interesting. More »

We were up and out walking the streets of D.C. by 9 am. We made our way over to the White House along with hundreds of other folks doing the same thing on Memorial Day. You can never really imagine how big the Washington Monument is until you stand next to it…WOW! The Capital Building’s dome is visible from our hotel room. The architecture is unbelievable here. So many ornate buildings and marble everywhere.

This afternoon I registered for the bee and got my welcome package. Not much longer after that I took my preliminary test. They call the test a “paper test” (because it used to be a paper test) but, today it is a computer test. More »

We made it to D.C. safely! Airport security was pretty straight forward and the plane ride was scary at first but pretty cool after I relaxed. The hotel is BEAUTIFUL! The Grand Hyatt has a very fancy chandelier and a huge entrance. The elevator has a small window that you can see out as you climb to the 12th floor. More »

[Ed. Note: Chris Rice, an Elk Rapids 6th grader at Cherryland Middle School, will be representing the Grand Traverse area at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., May 25-30. Chris will be blogging for us during the experience.]

The Bee must be getting close, my mom made me get a hair cut!! I am starting to put together my clothes and goodies I am taking with me to D.C. I am starting to get nervous! This trip is giving me so many first-time experiences that it is almost overwhelming. This will be the first time that I will ride on an airplane. I hope that airport security doesn’t give me too much of a hassle getting to D.C. and back to Michigan. More »

Well, I didn’t make the quarterfinals! The qualifying score was a score of 21 points, and I got 18 points. As they say, close counts in horseshoes and explosive demolition. I guess that means no ESPN, but I’m fine with that. I’ve had a great experience so far.

This afternoon, after we found out I didn’t qualify, we went out to Rick Jones Pianos. He’s the guy we originally got my piano from the Internet. I picked out a Yamaha U-2 upright piano. This upright piano is going to go inside the dining room at Bortz Nursing Home in Traverse City. For a first time to a National Spelling Bee, I’m having a great time. More »

I was up and ready for the multiple choice test at seven a.m. The test began at 8:45, though they had to arrange us and place us in our seats, so it took a little longer. Here’s a list of words I had to
spell: More »

Today we went out to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. It’s about an hour-long bus ride out of D.C., so a few of us took the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep. When we arrived at Annapolis, we went out on a boat tour throughout Chesapeake Bay and the Southern River tributaries.

The athletic field at Annapolis is the size of two football fields. It’s also where the Navy/Army/Marine/Air Force football bowls were held last year. One of the pictures in the officer’s club is of the Air Force’s running back getting smashed by five of the Navy’s tacklers. More »