With his new friends, Anson Cook, Speller 517, from Virginia, peeked through a crack in the door that leads to the stage he and 515 others will begin spelling on Tuesday.
"It's like, am I actually here?" Anson asked. "This is where the National Spelling Bee takes place."
It's Anson's first year at the Bee, and he's had a lot of fun so far. With Kris Patel, Speller 227, from New York, and Jonnen Messer, speller 27, from Germany, he traded signatures in the Bee Keeper while waiting in line to go to Monday's barbecue.
"I feel honored just being here," Jonnen said. "I get to go on a stage that most people only see on TV."
Kris said it felt like magic, being in the same place where winners before him stood.
"I've seen it before many times on television," he said. "Now, you're living it."