Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Scripps cancels spelling bee
Company says it will try to reschedule later this year but does not commit to a new date.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee won’t be held as scheduled this year because of the coronavirus, meaning years of preparation by some of the country’s top spellers could go for naught.
Scripps cited state and federal recommendations against large gatherings Friday as it canceled plans to hold the contest during the week of May 24. Scripps said it would try to reschedule for later this year but did not commit to a new date. It’s possible the bee won’t be held at all.
“Canceling the bee would cause an emotional breakdown for most spellers,” Navneeth Murali, a 14-yearold bee veteran from Edison, New Jersey, told The Associated Press. “It would basically be crushing their dreams.“
Navneeth’s parents joined with families of other top spellers to send an email to executive director Paige Kimble, urging her to reschedule. Kimble expressed confidence that the logistics of holding a bee later this year could be worked out.
“If it is abundantly clear that it is safe to hold an in-person gathering, we’re going to do everything we can possibly do to have that happen,” Kimble told AP. “And if it isn’t possible, we’re going to do everything in our power to reimagine something that would still happen for kids.”
Most nationally competitive spellers devote years of their lives to mastering the dictionary and learning roots and language patterns, hoping for a win before they age out.
The bee’s rules require only that participants not move beyond eighth grade before Aug. 31, which means if this year’s bee were held later than that, the competition could include ninthgraders for the first time.
The Scripps bee began in 1925 and this year’s, if it happens, would be the 93rd. The contest was not held from 1943-45 because of World War II.