Welcome to the AARP National Spelling Bee website!
Sign up for the Bee! You can Register now for the 2010 AARP National Spelling Bee scheduled for Saturday, June 19, 2010 at Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The AARP National Spelling Bee is open to anyone age 50 or older, except previous winners. It’s fun. It’s challenging. But perhaps best of all, you’ll meet like-minded people while you test your spelling skills against some of the best spellers in the nation – and you just might walk away the winner!
We hope you will find these pages chock-full of information. Our volunteers have assembled study tips and travel information, but if there’s something else you need, let us know. We’re always eager to help.
We hope to see you at the Bee. Register now!
VIRGINIAN WINS AARP NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
FOR “WORD NERDS” AGE 50+
CHEYENNE, WYO (June 20, 2009) – Today, AARP crowned Michael Petrina Jr., 64, of Arlington, Virginia, the winner of the AARP National Spelling Bee. Petrina won the championship by correctly spelling “woad” and out-spelled 45 other spellers from more than 25 states who competed in the record-breaking Bee that lasted 46 rounds.
Petrina and runner up Scott Firebaugh, 55, of Knoxville, Tennessee, battled each other for 30 rounds to determine the winner.
The Bee was held earlier today at the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Gil Couts, 66, from Bigfork, Montana finished third. A full list of finalists can be found online at www.aarp.org/spellingbee.
“We’re thrilled that so many people from across the country came out for this year’s competition and we want to congratulate Michael for coming out ahead of the pack,” said AARP Wyoming Director Tim Summers. “Our Spelling Bee has continued to grow in popularity since it was created by AARP members 14 years ago, and the cognitive and social benefits of exercising your mind as you age make all of today’s participants winners.”
The AARP National Spelling Bee began with a 100-word written spelling test in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 16 spellers who advanced to the afternoon’s oral spelling rounds. Spellers were allowed to miss three words in the oral rounds before being knocked out of the competition.
The AARP National Spelling Bee was created in 1996 by a group of Cheyenne AARP members who wanted to challenge the 50+ community to keep their minds sharp as they age. It is open to anyone age 50 or older, except previous winners, and is supported by Merriam-Webster Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, Taco John’s Foundation, Franklin Electronic Publishers, the Cheyenne Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wyoming Network, Inc., the Cheyenne Women’s Civic League, and the Laramie County Library System.
Registration for next year’s Bee scheduled for June 19, 2010, is open at www.aarp.org/spellingbee or by calling 1-877-926-8300.
“It’s great to see so many people dedicated to keeping their minds sharp and taking on the challenge of participating in the Bee,” Summers said. “We hope to see even more spellers compete in next year’s AARP National Spelling Bee.”
The top 10 finishers in this year’s AARP National Spelling Bee were (tied spellers are listed under the same number):
1. Michael Petrina Jr., 64, Alexandria, VA
2. Scott Firebaugh, 55, Knoxville, TN (round 46)
3. Gil Couts, 66, Bigfork, MT (round 16)
4. Marlene Harry, 57, Brownsburg, IN (round 13)
5. Deborah George, 56, Livermore, CO (round 11)
6. Dr. Norman Zucker, 62, Sebastopol, CA (round 10)
7. Joan Saxton, 67, Sausalito, CA (round 8)
7. Carolyn Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 8)
8. Kate Karp, 60, Long Beach, CA (round 7)
8. Dr. Kent Stockton, 67, Riverton, WY (round 7)
8. Joseph Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 7)
8. Mary DeForest, 62, Denver, CO (round 7)
9. James Sherry, 57, Troy, AL (round 6)
10. Ed Dorschel, 60, Enumclaw, WA (round 5)
10. Lucy Morales, 57, Washington, D.C. (round 5)
10. Kathryn Pulver, 51, New York, NY (round 5)
About AARP:
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 2008 Bee
And another AARP National Spelling Bee has come and gone. This year’s Bee had some special highlights… during the Friday night reception, members of the cast of the Cheyenne Little Theatre’s Melodrama performed a special script they had written just for the spellers (“What’s a 10-letter word that starts with gas….. wrong, it’s automobile”). Spellers got into the spirit of the event, cheering for the hero, and booing the villain. Our special thanks go to the cast and crew – that was a lot of fun.
Little America did an outstanding job of hosting our spellers. The food was excellent and the newly remodeled facility is beautiful.
But the real work began Saturday morning, when we all hunkered down to spell. Word Wizard Brian Greene softened everyone up with the first word “welcome”, but quickly got into more challenging fare such as tramontane, olefin, and losel. By the time we finished the written rounds, we knew everyone there was serious about spelling. You had to get at least 78 correct out of the 100 words to make it to the oral rounds, and that meant clearing words like chough, crwth, recce, and quoits.
Due to a tie for the fifteenth spot, 16 spellers made it, and began the uphill climb to the championship. They breezed past orgeat and tmesis, and conquered pterylae and eriophyid. Suddenly, we were down to the final four spellers. We began a round, and two of them missed their words. That meant a spell-off for third and fourth place. Two spell-off rounds later, and Norman Zucker was declared the fourth place winner, with Scott Firebaugh coming in third. Now only two competitors were left. Each one was given a word, and in a flash, it was over. Larry Grossman was crowned champion, and the best adult speller in the nation. Michael Petrina, Jr. chased him all the way, and came in second.
We had a very unusual footnote to the results this year. The top five finishers in the written rounds finished in the top five in the oral rounds. That hasn’t happened before… we’ll have to see if this was a fluke or the start of a trend.
As for me, it’s off to practice pronounciation for next year’s Bee.
Dave Lerner
Official Pronouncer Guy
AARP National Spelling Bee
A letter from 2008 winner Larry Grossman
When I heard that there was an adult spelling bee, I saw it as an opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for more than 40 years. I never was told about the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee when I was in junior high, and it had been a nagging regret ever since. I didn’t have much time to prepare for last year’s (June 2007) AARP Spelling Bee because I didn’t hear about it until the end of March; not to mention the fact that I had heart surgery at the end of May. I still was able to make the finals, however, and managed to place 13th. I came back from Cheyenne with the goal of preparing thoroughly for a year and coming away with first place in the 2008 Spelling Bee.
My first move was to buy the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, the source for the Bee. I went through the entire dictionary compiling lists of words that I either didn’t know or that I felt needed studying. I made CD recordings of these lists and spent many, many hours testing myself.
I arrived in Cheyenne this year feeling about as prepared as I could be. With the fortunes smiling on me, I was able to win the contest and the excitement it has created for me, my family, my friends, and North Dakota in general is unbelievable.
As much as I enjoy the excitement created by my win, for me, as a teacher, there’s another equally important aspect. It’s the motivation it’s going to give my students to participate in spelling competitions in the upcoming years. For 31 years I’ve stressed spelling and vocabulary as the building blocks forming the foundation of education. As long as I am able to do so, I will continue to encourage my students to pursue academic excellence through spelling and vocabulary.
Finally, to the 50+ population, I need to say this: Anyone who has an opportunity to participate in this wonderful, entertaining, and edifying AARP National Spelling Bee, jump at the chance. I wouldn’t give up one second of one minute of one hour of the time I’ve been involved in the Bee, and my preparation for the Bee. It’s broadened my world immensely, and it’s given me a chance to meet some brilliant, friendly, fun-loving people.
So ask yourself this question if you’re considering becoming a participant: Why should you let just the young kids have all the fun????
2008 Sponsors
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