The first full day of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is all about the entertainment, and meeting fellow spellers.
Spellers went to the National Arboretum to eat lunch, complete a scavenger hunt, dance and play games.
“It's pretty fun,” said Raj Papineni, speller 472, from Texas.
Speller 254, Olufemi Onigbinde, from New York, said he enjoyed playing soccer on the Arboretum's lawn with new friends. So did Abhinav Palle, speller 401, from Pennsylvania.
Palle said he met a lot of new people, and that the burgers were good, too. For Noah Prioste, speller 75, from Colorado, the highlight was making new friends.
Mackenzie Sambroak, speller 317, from Ohio, said she liked exploring the gardens at the Arboretum. Aastha Patel, speller 136, from Illinois, decorated a pair of sunglasses and bedazzled her name tag. Her new friend Mishal Ali, speller 493, from Texas, also decorated hers.
“The barbecue's been a really fun experience,” said Harini Logan, speller 434, from Texas. “It's great to meet everyone else. It's a nice way to socialize. You get to meet people from cities you didn't even know existed.”
Elizabeth Shvarts, speller 338, from New York, said she's enjoyed meeting people who are as interested – and obsessed – with spelling as she is.
“The best part is getting to know all the spellers,” she said. “You're getting to know each other in a relaxed, non-competitive environment.”
