I still remember my time on the Scripps Spelling Bee stage where every speller’s brain worked at lightning speed; their hands quivering with anxiety. From the moment I entered the Maryland Ballroom to when I left, all that brainpower smelled like burning batteries.

I marveled at the purple lights illuminating the stage in front of Dr. Jacques Bailly, the pronouncer. I couldn’t stop bouncing with excitement…until I walked up to the microphone, and Dr. Bailly said my exit ticket. The word ‘curettage.’

Panic rushed through me for a split second. What was I going to do? I didn’t know this word. Calm down. You have to, or you could get it wrong. True. After I took a deep breath, I looked at Dr. Bailly and asked all the questions I could think of.

May I please have it in a sentence? I felt a wave of nausea as I racked my brain trying to think of where I might have heard the word. An article? Book? Movie? Nothing.

May I please have the language of origin? I frantically tried to dissect the word in my mind to figure out its roots, but to no avail; the feeling of giving up crept into my mind as Dr. Bailly continued to answer my questions on a word that was nowhere to be found. 

Could you repeat the definition? Stalling for time, I accepted the fact that I would be leaving the Bee in five minutes. Finally, it was time for me to spell.

C-O-U-R-E-T-A-G-E. Ding. The bell marked the end of my bee experience. While I felt defeated, I couldn’t help but feel joy at the new knowledge in my brain. The judges' panel wished me luck for the future – a future that would be filled with more enriching experiences like this.