DENVER—In his first national spelling bee in 2004, Bill Long finished second because he spelled the word “terpsichorean” incorrectly.
Four years later, he’s still trying for a championship—at age 56.
Long is among at least 49 people entered in AARP The Magazine’s National Spelling Bee at the Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Saturday. This year, competitors range in age from 50 to 75 and come from 24 states.
The winner gets $500 in cash, plus bragging rights.
“It’s the challenge that keep me coming back,” said Long, of Salem, Ore.
Founded by Cheyenne AARP members in 1996 to help keep their minds sharp, the bee is open to anyone at least 50 years old. Past winners cannot compete. Unlike the Scripps National Spelling Bee for schoolchildren, the senior spellers aren’t booted until they misspell three words, and everyone pays their way to get to Cheyenne.
The day starts with a written test. The top 15 scorers progress to the final to spell words out loud.
AARP Wyoming spokeswoman Joanne Bowlby said competitors as old as 99 have entered.
“They find that with age, they actually do better in spelling bees because they can draw upon the knowledge they’ve acquired over the years,” she said.
Long first entered in 2004 after seeing a sign for the contest.
“If I make a mistake, I usually never miss that word again,” Long said. “In 2005, I missed ‘cappelletti.’ That’s c-a-p-p-e-l-l-e-t-t-i.” It’s a word for a type of pasta, similar to tortellini.
In 2006, “onychophoran” tripped him up. The word describes any type of various wormlike animals, of course.
Last year, Long was thrown off by “gharry,” a cart the British used in colonial India.
“It’s not exactly something that’s on your lips,” he said. The word that bounced him from competition was ‘troupial.’ He forgot the ‘o.’
“That was embarrassing,” said the writer and former attorney.
Words and their origins are what intrigue Long. For instance, “terpsichorean,” derived from the name of the muse of dancing, means “of or relating to dancing.”
“I love words because words open worlds for me,” Long said. “They bring me into places I haven’t seen before.”
This year, he enters the national bee on a hot streak after winning adult bees in Seattle and in Oregon this spring.
Not everyone is a spelling bee veteran.
Former teacher Pam Leininger, 61, of Durango, Colo., is a first-timer. She has been studying the dictionary all year, and her husband handled the cooking this week so she could cram.
“My brain feels so alive. That’s important as we age,” she said.
Leininger said she will enjoy her first senior bee, win or lose.
Long said he’ll be fine if he loses again, though he might be a bit disappointed.
“There is next year,” Long said, “if your health and life holds.”
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