There was not a shred of doubt that crossed my mind that Didi could do it, and do it very well. Last year, after seeing the outcome of the Spell Bowl, we felt very sad for Didi's school. There were seven rounds in the competition, each student was challenged to correctly spell seven words. The team from Didi's school had a score of less than 20. We weren't sure if the team under prepared or the students simply got too nervous. They had about 10 weeks hone their vocabulary skills. Didi opted not to participate last year.
It wasn't until two weeks before the forming of 2012 Spell Bowl team, that Didi had finally agreed to try out. It required some persistent persuasion to get him to nod his head. A list of 750 words, perhaps 90% of the words were new to Didi, he had his work cut out for him for sure. Not always a self-starter, we knew we had to work with him - a lot! The ten weeks that followed, gave Didi a peek at his own potentials.
Thirty some students tried out for team, 12 of whom were selected. Of the 12 renaming students, only 9 would get a chance to be in the competition. There would be 8 spellers and 1 scorekeeper. Normally, the stronger spellers would go in the later rounds. The best speller on the team would be the anchor.
First few weeks of practice went by quickly, Didi fared very well in his practice sessions. Each session's score was kept and tallied as they progressed. All of us worked diligently with Didi, particularly Gogo. Twice helped his school to place in the Spell Bowl, Gogo is no slouch when it comes to spelling. It's actually quite a big shoe that Gogo has left Didi to fill.
Although his studying habits didn't change much, Didi was able to improve his practice scores. We broke down the weekly list to daily, and we all took turns quizzing Didi. Somewhere near the 5th week of practice, I gave Didi a challenge. He had three perfect scores at that time, I challenged him to get three more perfect scores for a cool half dozen. Should he succeed, we'd take him to Orange Leaf, kids' favorite yogurt place. The prize? As much as he could fill the cup! Didi's eyes glistened, the bet was on!
In the next few weeks, Didi not only made a believer out all of us, but himself as well. He would run a string of 5 perfect scores to bump the total to eight. Something that Gogo didn't achieve when he participated in the bowl. Very happily, we brought the kids to Orange Leaf and watched them piled up their cups. It was no doubt a team effort.
About two weeks before the competition, Didi came home with an announcement, that the teacher had asked him to be the "secret weapon". He had the highest cumulative score, which earned him the team's anchor spot. Way to go! Only one more hurdle to to - the actual competition.
Slowly but surely, the big day had arrived. It was business as usual, the kids went to school and the parents went to work. Everything was normal until we arrived at the site of the competition in the early evening. My Mrs. and I had butterflies in our stomachs. I don't know if other parents felt the same? We saw Didi and his teammates in the cafeteria. Several other kids were doing the last minute review. He was being his chit-chatty self, didn't seem nervous at all.
I surveyed the floor and found where Didi's team would be seated. We sat down on the bleachers not far from the team. Moments later, the Spell Bowl would begin. Groups of youngsters, parents, teachers, volunteers quickly filled the gym. A few announcements by the emcee and the competition was underway. We weren't sure at what round Didi would go up. Although he said he might go last, the order might have changed. One by one, the representing student from each school sat in their assigned seat.
The first round was rough for Didi's school, with a score of 4. The next kid did better, correctly spelled 6 out of 7 words. 3rd, 4th and 5th round soon completed..the anticipation was really building up. We looked over to Didi's bench, he was flipping through some book...not his vocabulary list! He looked totally bored. A minute later he put his jacket on the empty seat next to him and began to lay down. Wow, this kid really got the nerves of steel! We shook our heads as we watched him. Round 6 and round 7 concluded, well, it looked like Didi would anchor.
FINALLY, after nearly an hour of anxiety, it was Didi's turn. He walked up to his seat and sat down next to his proctor. I was about 20 steps away, with the camera in my hands. First three words were given, correct answers announced...Didi didn't raise his hand to signal he had spelled them correctly. My stomach was in knots. Did he get them wrong? I could tell that the proctor was telling him something, asking him to raise his hand perhaps? Four more words to go, it felt like an eternity. At last, Didi raised his hands for the next four words, it calmed me down somewhat. I looked over to the anxious mom, she too, was relieved.
When the emcee asked the perfect spellers to turn in their papers, Didi stood up. Immediately his proctor held him back and said something to him. He didn't go to the judges' table, which meant he didn't get all 7 words right. The emcee continued a moment later, "All near perfect spellers, please turn in your paper.", Didi proceeded. It was then I took a deep breath, "It's OVER!", I said to myself. I could see the same impression on my wife too. Although he missed one, he still did well. The whole team did well!
After all scores were tallied, Didi's team came in 3rd place. The team coaches, school principal, the students and the parents, everyone was very happy. I'm quite sure after last year's abysmal performance, they goal was to redeem themselves. And they did!
A big congratulations to 2012 SCE Spell Bowl team. Well, it looks like we'll be visiting Orange Leaf again soon!
