The competition has already begun, but tomorrow starts the on-stage portion of the Bee. And in an evening gathering, spellers were welcomed to D.C. and reminded of what it is they're doing here.
"It's our love of words, language and championship spelling that brings us together," said Paige Kimble, the Bee's executive director. "We admire and salute your accomplishments here this week."
The spellers heard from two former champions -- both of whom have siblings competing in the Bee this year. Kavya Shivashankar (2009 champion) and Anamika Veeramani (2010 champion) gave the spellers advice, telling them to make sure they adjusted their mics and not to spell so quickly that they slipped up.
"Do not despair in the face of a spelling challenge," Anamika said. "Don't give up when it happens to you."
In the end, some will get their words right. Others will not. But graciously coping with disappointment builds character, Paige said, and is an important part of the Bee.
"Once you've absorbed your disappointment, do come back," Paige said. "It feels really good to cheer for your state or region."