As Bee Week begins, spellers were reminded that the Bee has changed since it started in 1925, with nine competitors.
But here's what doesn't change: the spellers are all here to make friends as well as compete, and the friendships they make will deepen throughout the week.
"The people you meet this week, they will become your lifelong friends," Bee Director Paige Kimble told the spellers.
Head Judge Mary Brooks and Pronouncer Jacques Bailly reminded the spellers that they are there to help them.
"We are on your side," Mrs. Brooks said. "The only foe that you have is the dictionary."
Paige told the spellers to do their best during the competition, and to "quietly pause and reflect for a moment on what you did to earn this experience."
"You're touching the hearts of kids who want to be just like you," she said, of all the others who will be watching, dreaming of making it to the Bee.
But she wanted to make sure that the spellers are not only prepared to win - they must also be ready for the bell that indicates a misspelled word.
"Promise yourself you'll be prepared for both eventualities," she said. "You're going to walk away from this week with a word you'll remember all your life. Right now, you don't know that word."