The spellers just left the opening ceremony, the official start of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. At the ceremony, they met the pronouncers and the judges, learned more about the competition and saw the new trophy. (More on that in a future post.)
Leilani Juliana Campos, speller 91, served as our intro to the Bee, and we watched a video that showed her journey from studying words to arriving at National Harbor. Among the speakers on stage were several former champions. One, 2015 co-champion Vanya Shivashankar, told the spellers that they should be proud of what they've done so far.
"You all should know that you have done your best," she said. "I'm here to tell you that you've made it."
She encouraged the spellers to enjoy themselves, too. And many are, including right now at the welcome party.
"You may find that the friendships you make at Bee Week are what matter most," she said.
We heard more about pronouncing and the bell, as well as the role of the judges, before Karthik Nemmani, the 2018 champion, took the stage.
He said the experience of winning was surreal.
"I couldn't believe I was standing on stage, lifting the former trophy," he said.
But he still cracks up over a Taylor Swift reference Dr. Bailly made during the finals, and he was exciting to meet Bill Clinton on his own media tour.
And, Karthik said, the interviews have gotten easier.
Deeya Patel, speller 566, said she was excited to be at the Bee for the second time. The opening ceremony, she said, made it feel like it was really happening.
"It's finally open," she said. "I feel like I'm in the spelling bee."
Jethro Adriel Solidum, speller 331, said he enjoyed seeing previous champions on stage. And Simone Kaplan, speller 65, said she was "very excited" to see old friends and meet new spellers.