The Scripps National Spelling Bee shifted to a more prestigious address this year, trading a sprawling suburban convention center for Constitution Hall, Washington's grand concert venue tucked blocks from the White House and the National Mall. For some competitors and families, the move felt like a step up. For others, it felt like a step backward.
The decision to relocate from the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where the bee had been held for 15 years, created real friction among returning participants. Gone was the convenience of one massive building housing hotel rooms, the competition stage, and a sprawling food court where spellers could grab meals between study sessions. In its place: shuttle bus rides from the JW Marriott, crowded hallways, limited dining, and the constant need to move between locations.
Yahya Mohammed, a 14-year-old returning speller from Illinois, was blunt about his preference. "I feel like they should not have moved it," he said. "The old venue was better. Because it's a bit of a hassle, getting on the bus and going there and then coming back. The old venue was more spacious, and it feels kind of isolated in the hotel."
His sentiment echoed through conversations among competitors this week as preliminary rounds began Tuesday. Arpit Aggarwal, whose daughter Ananya was competing for a second time, offered a similar verdict. "Last year was better," he said. "Everything was in one place."
Yet not everyone mourned the departure from the suburbs. Some spellers saw the downtown location as fitting the gravitas of a national competition. Oliver Halkett, a 14-year-old three-time competitor from Los Angeles, voiced genuine enthusiasm. "I just love being here, right next to the National Mall. You can see the Smithsonian, you can see the Jefferson Memorial. It's such a lively and unique city and I love being in the heart of it," he said. "There's so much history, there's so much culture. The memorials and the museums are fascinating to go to."
Constitution Hall, built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution, certainly carries the weight of history. But the timing of this year's relocation delivered an unexpected complication: the White House was in the middle of constructing an outdoor octagon cage on the South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, scheduled for June 14 to coincide with President Trump's 80th birthday and the nation's 250th founding anniversary.
The construction transformed the Ellipse, the grassy expanse that would have provided a direct pedestrian route from the hotel to the venue, into a fenced-off construction zone with security checkpoints. What should have been a short walk became a shuttle ride. One parent captured the surreal quality of the moment. "Two very disparate forms of entertainment," said Rajeev Malhotra of Boston, father of competing speller Rajeev Malhotra, comparing the erudite spelling competition to mixed martial arts.
Security at Constitution Hall was ramped up accordingly, with metal detectors at every entrance and explosive-detection dogs patrolling the hallways. The precautions came just three days after a man fired a weapon at a White House security checkpoint blocks away, injuring a bystander before being fatally shot by Secret Service officers.
By Tuesday evening, 80 competitors had been eliminated in preliminary onstage rounds, leaving 167 spellers in contention. Those who advanced moved to the hotel for a written test that would determine which roughly 100 would compete in Wednesday's quarter-finals. The competition concludes Thursday night.
For some competitors, the bee's unpredictable nature has already taught hard lessons about mental resilience. Last year's champion, Faizan Zaki, misspelled a word and heard the bell, only to see his two remaining opponents falter as well, giving him a second chance he ultimately didn't need. Kushi Gottimukkala of North Carolina experienced a similar emotional jolt at her regional bee. She misspelled "anchialine" and thought she was done, only to watch the other two finalists stumble as well. "I was still thinking about the mistake, but I was also really grateful that I got a second chance," she said.
Oliver Halkett, who has also survived the peculiar situation of missing a word but remaining in competition, described his approach to recovery. "It's a peculiar situation, but I think, above all, mental clarity is so important, especially in those latter rounds," he said. "I close my eyes and do some deep breathing and I visualize the word, and it's just me and the word. Treat every word as if it's your first and last word."
Author James Rodriguez: "Moving the bee downtown was a gamble that favored prestige over practicality, and families are paying the shuttle-ride price for it."
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