Restless days and sleepless nights: Spelling bee takes toll

WASHINGTON – The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a test of brain power, but it can also take a physical toll.

The spellers who spend a week competing at a convention centre outside Washington often don’t get much sleep. They don’t get exercise, either, and their meal times are erratic. All that can affect their performance.

Some former spellers say they have missed words in the finals because they were tired, hungry or otherwise not at their best physically.

Managing the stress of the week could be even more important this year because the bee is super-sized. Scripps allowed wild cards into the field for the first time, which means the bee will have three full days of spelling. There are 516 spellers in the bee.

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