The First Night of the Spelldown

One hundred champion spellers bravely took on some tricky spelling words last night at the annual Spelldown at Monmouth University, in the first of two nights of tense competition at the Pollak Theatre.

Some of the students were eliminated on their second time at the microphone, thrown off by curveballs like belay (to secure a rope), babka (a Polish pastry) and oratorio (a musical) that left the audience clapping in empathy as they exited the stage and handed in the number strung around their necks.

But more than half kept their ground, and will return tonight to battle for first place in the contest.  The winner will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held May 29 to 31 in Washington D.C.  The final day is televised.  Last year, Holmdel Township’s Satz School’s Ray Wang triumphed in the Spelldown and went on to represent the region.

Running a spelling bee is a serious, exacting business. Spellers had to show they heard the word correctly from the pronouncer Bill Zapcic, by repeating it back to a panel of three judges sitting directly beneath them. When they spelled a word back, they were instructed to speak the letters clearly.  The audience was warned to keep silent.

These are nervous fourth through eighth graders, and the judges, in a few cases, had some difficulty making the call. Sometimes the speller mumbled. A few voices cracked with nervousness. Or the kids spoke too quickly.

Last night, judges Lawrence Benjamin, Paul Grzella and Louise Silverman, longtime deans of journalism in the community, reversed their own decisions in two cases after reviewing a recording during a break, and reinstated two spellers without explanation to the public.

In another case, they eliminated a student but then moments later called her back to the stage after correcting themselves with the recording. She was given another word, spelled the next word right, and returned to the competition. 

The event is sponsored by the Asbury Park Press, The Home News Tribune,  New Jersey Natural Gas and Meridian Health.

The Spelldown continues at 6 p.m. tonight.  The event is free and open to the public.