Spelling bees grow up, because nerds never do
You, too, can win one of these medallions to prove you are smart...
Word nerds, prepare for battle: The British Bulldog hosts its monthly Spelling Bee For Grown-Ups at 7 p.m. on Thursday Oct. 21.
Presented by the Metro Denver Promotion Of Letters organization, the bee draws proud dorks, the third Thursday of every month, to drink, compete, and spell their ways to glory. This isn’t just fun and games, though: Amanda Grell, MDPL’s director of the board, says that many of the contestants have something to prove.
“I think nearly every participant lost a spelling bee in their youth,” she says.
The MDPL started putting on the bees in March, just when Colorado’s schoolchildren were participating in the state spelling bee. “I’m a teacher, so I had been prepping some of our kids, and thought that it would be fun for adults to have another shot at winning a bee, after the horror of middle school is over,” Grell says.
Since then, she says, spellers from all walks of life have shown up to test their prowess, from bicycle mechanics to regular barflies. Just like back in the day, the words get progressively harder as the rounds continue. It starts with easy-peasy teasers like “quiver,” and ends with soul-destroyers like “zymurgy.” (That’s the branch of chemistry dealing with fermentation, just so you know.)
“We run the bee pretty strictly,” Grell explains. “When we’ve suggested taking a more casual stance, our purist regulars have let us know that they really do enjoy the formality and the preparation that we put into the whole event.”
Registration for the bee begins at 6:30 p.m., and it will cost you $5 to test your spelling mettle. The fees raise money for the MDPL, a nonprofit writing center for kids that offers workshops, summer camps, and other activities, all for free. But don’t worry, it’s not just for a good cause: There are prizes, too! The winner gets a $20 gift card from the Bulldog, the runner up gets $10. Both receive lovely handcrafted medallions to show off. Grell says some winners wear their medallions to future bees—it’s the spelling bee way of talking smack.
