``Akimbo,'' he said, looking closely at the piece of paper. ``I can do this,'' I thought, followed immediately by, ``There is no way I can do this.''
I began. ``A.'' The crowd was hushed. ``A,'' I drew it out this time, marking my complete confusion, and this time the crowd let out a good-natured and supportive laugh.
``A-K-I-M-B-O,'' I blurted out, deciding to just go with that old ``sound it out'' rule from kindergarten. Applause erupted through the room. Not only had I gotten it correct, but this audience loved me.
The audience at the adult spelling bee loved every contestant. The contestants cheered for one another, going as far as contesting the judges when we heard a mistake.
Many of the 20 contestants fought fiercely for the title of champion, but for the most part, everyone was there to have a good time.
The 22nd annual Johnny Bee Good Spelling Bee took place at P.O. Pears, 322 S. 9th St., on Tuesday night. The back half of the restaurant quickly filled to capacity with contestants and cheering sections.
The Nebraska Literary Heritage Association sponsors the annual spelling bee, and this year's profits went to the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at the Bennett Martin Public Library.
Proceeds are generated primarily through a $30 registration fee, which each contestant pays. Geraldine Cox spends a great deal of her time putting this event together, along with other members of her committee. This was her third year involved with the spelling bee.
Along with Cox and the contestants was John Baylor, the charismatic emcee of the event. Baylor started out the night with a classic spelling joke. After announcing himself as the emcee, he made sure to mention the spelling, saying, ``I know it's spelled E-M-C-E-E.'' Other characters dazzled the event, as well.
Brian Bornstein was right at home on stage. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a two-time winner of this competition.
Bornstein kept a cool demeanor the entire night, never becoming phased when things got difficult. His cheering section may have been the most enthusiastic, which included his two girls, Lillian and Melissa, his wife and many of his friends.
Among the other contestants were obvious librarians and English teachers, but there were also some interesting professions. One lively and hilarious contestant works as an urologist.
The entire audience let out a soft ``ooh'' at this one. Brent Mehling and I discussed his time at UNL a few years ago. He now works as a firefighter in Nebraska.
Elaine Behrends and Dale Wardlaw definitely had the most interesting story of the night. These two endearing contestants met in fifth grade and began their competitive relationship during a spelling bee. During that particular spelling bee, Behrends lost the third-place spot to Wardlaw.
Years later, they met again at Behrends' husband's tractor pull. After seeing one another, the fifth-grade spelling bee came up, and soon afterward, Behrends received a phone call from Wardlaw announcing they were both entered in the adult spelling bee.
The two had another opportunity at a spell-off, but unfortunately, the results were the same. Regardless, talking to these two and listening to them compete was entertainment for the entire audience.
So who won it all? Well, the end got intense. In the fifth round there were only six people left. It finally got down to two: Mehling and Millie Kreuzberg, an adorable lady who knew her words.
The two ended up in a spell-off, and after several words, Mehling came out victorious, spelling ``anodyne,'' which means, ``not likely to offend.''My experience at the adult spelling bee ended up being much more entertaining than I expected it to be. You hear spelling bee, and you think nerd fest ... at least I did.
I had a great time getting back to my nerdy roots, though. While the registration fee is high, the money goes to a good cause. I would recommend the adult spelling bee to anyone who wants to have a good time.
Have a few drinks, take them with you on stage, laugh at yourself, meet friends, help raise money for a great foundation and take a chance at winning a massive unabridged dictionary.
Even if you only make it into the top 12 like I did, it still feels pretty good. It's worth it; just ask Mehling, our resident firefighter and this year's adult spelling bee champion!
=
