Scripps National Spelling Bee is suspended for late May

[staggmovie]

I see right up on for the Scrips National Spelling Bee http://www.spellingbee.com , is suspending their national finals scheduled to be done in National Harbor, Maryland. The suspension includes all int-person events and the live national broadcast the week of May 24. They are also saying if possible, they are going to be working with their local sponsors, spellers, convention partners and ESPN to reschedule the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee for later this year. I wonder how they are going to try to make this work and when. The spellers are school age students, and will their schools let them out to participate in the Bee if it falls during the school year. Where many of schools might start the school year either in August or September after Labor Day. To be eligible to participate in the Bee, spielers have to not be in a grade past 8th grade, be 15 or have already won a previous spelling bee, even if they still have years left of eligibly.

 

[crainbebo]

Social distancing works, and I still believe summer can be saved. I think rescheduling it to early-mid August would work out best for the spelling bee. Some schools back east and in CA go back in early-mid August, but many states are still on break. Perhaps even without an audience.

 

[staggmovie]

Social distancing works, and I still believe summer can be saved. I think rescheduling it to early-mid August would work out best for the spelling bee. Some schools back east and in CA go back in early-mid August, but many states are still on break. Perhaps even without an audience.

But for this type of event I don't see how social distancing would work as all the sellers are close together on the stage, and also the people that run it that are on the stage and heard at points. Like Mary Brooks who is the end judge, she does have to do spelling as to make sure that the spellers are saying the words right. The spellers are on stage for the entire thing, until they misspell a word, which at that point after they are finished, Mary Brooks signs the dreaded bell, and that Dr. Bailey spells the word correctly. And then they are lead ff to the side for the stage, where they wait until a parent goes to help calm them down, and assuming they return to the audience with them to watch it I guess. And then during the finals, the ones that advanced to the finals, the ones that advance on on one side of the stage, and the others are back on the stage, but they are on the other side of the stage as they are done either for the year or career if they are in 8th grade.