By KELLY MORCKEL

By KELLY MORCKEL
VINDICATOR SPELLING BEE CHAMPION
As a reader of this newspaper, you probably want the truth. You want to hear about what really went on at the 2003 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.
Well, I could tell you a lot of things. I could tweak the story a little -- dramatize it so it sounded less ordinary -- more wild, more adventurous. I could write whole paragraphs about the surge of emotions I felt as we entered Washington, D.C., in a chic black limousine.
I could rave on and on about the beautiful sights, the incredible tours and the novelty of the landscape. I could say that I almost fainted before it was my turn to spell -- I could mention that my nerves overwhelmed me.
Sure, all this would make a great fiction book, but it would also be a lie.
The grand entrance
To tell the truth, our first few hours weren't really that unusual. The fact that I was going to D.C. didn't yet seem real. We flew (via Southwest Airlines) into Baltimore, and after a few minor snafus, a limo picked us up at the airport.
I was a little disappointed. The scenery hadn't changed at all! The same kinds of vegetation dotted the average-looking landscape, and it felt like we were still in Ohio. Until we got to our hotel.
The Grand Hyatt!
This truly awed my family and me! When we stepped through the revolving, gold-hinged doors, I let out a gasp. Sunlight filtered lazily through the 13-story glass ceiling, and real trees grew inside! There was even a little caf & eacute; with a mock river flowing beside it! This was even better than I had imagined.
On Monday and Tuesday of Bee Week, there were some tours and activities, including a Memorial Day barbecue at Turkey Run Park.
I could tell you that I felt like I fit in with the other spellers, but I didn't. Everyone seemed so smart! Many of the kids had studied Latin and Greek -- some could even speak other languages fluently! I could hear spellers talking about how they had studied for hours every day. ... I hadn't studied that much! Hearing these things did make me slightly apprehensive. What was going to happen Wednesday -- the day of the ominous first round?
Being No. 53
The competition started very early in the morning. Wearing my new outfit, I gingerly stepped inside the Independence ballroom. It was a very large room -- but I did not feel daunted. I had decided that I would do my best and enjoy the experience. Before I strode up to the stage, mom hugged me and wished me good luck. I knew what I had to do.
Everyone was seated numerically, and I was No. 53. All of the competitors were nervously chatting -- this didn't seem real! Then, all too soon, speller No. 1 was called to the microphone, and the National Spelling Bee was under way.
Words flew by like miniature hurricanes. Stichomythia, videlicet, quatorzain, consenescence, refocillate, chernozem and kwashiorkor were among the attacks volleyed toward spellers.
But it wasn't the words that scared me. It was the fact that most of the kids knew how to spell them without a flinch, a blink, or a hesitation. As the space between the microphone and me lessened, I began to realize how infinitesimal the possibility of getting a familiar word was.
Suddenly, I was standing up! I was walking forward, and bending the microphone ... then it came.
"Jicara," said the pronouncer, Dr. Bailly.
"May I have the definition, please?" I asked, trying not to smile.
I couldn't help but let one small grin escape. Hey! I'm at the National Spelling Bee, I thought. This is so amazing!
"A jicara is a bowl carved from the fruit of the calabash tree," stated Dr. Bailly.
I had no clue as to what the word was!
"May I have the etymology?" I asked, hoping that I sounded confident.
"It is from Spanish," said the pronouncer.
I should have been thinking, but I wasn't. I should have remembered some of the tendencies of the Spanish language, but I didn't.
I just took a guess, and now I don't even remember how I spelled it.
Soon after I had finished my attempt, a silver bell let out a crisp cry, and my time in the spotlight was over. I didn't sob, or laugh, or get angry. It was OK.
I was led into the "comfort room," and my mom met me there. Two other spellers were inside, and we discussed our words and how we felt about the bee. I ate a Danish, drank some juice and composed myself. Once I was ready, mom walked me out to watch the remainder of the first round.
Words were once again being hurled around in the ballroom. Some of these included chitin, cheliferous, feis, Bhutanese, ageusia, and gouache. As the round continued, even more spellers were eliminated.
Both my brother and I tried to keep up with the words. When the last competitor had finished, we went up to rest in our hotel room.
When things get tough
As the sun rose Thursday morning, a whole new level of competition dawned as well. It was fiercer and even more difficult than Wednesday had been. Spellers wrestled their way through dizygotic, phytotoxic, kibbutznik, electroencephalograph, saccharinity and asphyxiant. Once again, kids actually knew the words! I felt honored to have competed against them.
The upside of being eliminated was that I could enjoy the rest of the week. We took the metro to the Smithsonian Institution to see the Air and Space museum and the Hope Diamond. We also traveled to a three-story shopping mall and ate lunch. Later that day, the ESPN live broadcast took place, and Sai Gunturi was declared the grand champion of the national bee.
Lessons learned
Finally, Friday came. On this day, an awards banquet was held to honor the spellers. It was a very elegant meal (never have I had a grilled romaine salad)! After we were finished eating, the top 10 spellers were given their awards. These included monetary prizes up to $12,000. Nupur Lalla, the 1999 national champion, spoke. She simply talked about what the spelling bee meant to her. I hadn't thought about what it meant to me. I didn't make it out of the first round! Why should it mean anything?
But it did mean something. Not doing well meant working harder, studying extra and gaining more knowledge. It meant that a challenge had opened before me -- that I had a new goal to strive toward. I began to think about studying Latin, French and English. Now I wanted to prepare for the SAT and ACT tests -- to know. Pure, raw knowledge. The spelling bee taught me that winning isn't the most important thing -- but learning and gaining from your mistakes is.
On Saturday morning, it was already time to leave. I felt kind of sad packing my suitcase -- I had enjoyed my stay.
Mom took some last-minute pictures before we left the hotel, and I got some quick signatures from the other spellers. The cars arrived to take us to the airport, and our bags were loaded into their trunks. Before I knew it, our plane was gliding softly through the air, leaving the spelling bee behind.
But not completely. ...
Upon arriving at Cleveland, there was a spring in my step and a smile on my face. When I saw the lush grass and rain-swept skies, I knew I was home. And the joy that I felt? It was the wonder of an experience grasped, and a lesson well learned. It was the hope of a brighter tomorrow.