How do you spell competition?

March Madness. Nope, try again. How about S.P.E.L.L.I.N.G. B.E.E. I watched the movie Spellbound today and really enjoyed it. Much better than what I sat through last night.

Anyways, I think the movie did a good job portraying a few things:

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There were all sorts of kids there. Sure, most of them were your typical nerds and bookworms, but there were a few of your average 10-14(?) year olds in it with everyone else. Some kids were comfortable with their brainy-ness, others not so much. But you got a sense that after they went to the spelling bee, they didn't feel so weird about themselves before they came - much like the "No rain" video by Blind Melon. Umm, where was I? Oh yeah - so it was interesting to see how each kid handled the stress, and how they prepared, and how they were viewed by friends and family.

Here's a few more miscellaneous points:
Each kid had a huge amount of dedication to get where they were
Spelling is simple, anyone can do it, these kids just wanted to be better at it.
It's about the process of setting and achieving goals
How smart kids can exist in not-so-smart environments
What do these kids turn into when they grow up? I'd like to write more about this later, we'll see what happens.