Until then . . . Many spellers arrive in Washington with high hopes of walking away with the trophy. Such a wish is perfectly natural. Let's say that you do not win the national championship. Prepare yourself for the fact that you might know how to spell every word on the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee word list except the one that you miss. Know that the speller who is named national champion might have been unable to spell, say, five words on the 2008 national word list—but that speller just happened to be called words that his or her experience and skill smiled upon. How a speller fares in Scripps National Spelling Bee competition is determined by both skill and luck. Be confident of your ability so that if you do not "finish" with a ranking that reflects what you believe to be your level of expertise, you will not be devastated. For the rest of your life, you will be able to say that you were a finalist in the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. It is possible that you will never "run into" anyone else who has that claim to fame. As one of the 288 national finalists, you are a fantastic speller—and you have much to be proud of!

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