Suburban 'senior' spellers stake out spots for state bee
Much like the Champions golf tour and AARP, seniorhood likewise starts at age 50 for those interested in the ancient art of spelling.
Regional contests lead to finals at the Illinois State Fair next month. Staff writer Jim Fuller had never heard of such a thing when he saw a pitch for competitors at the St. Charles Public Library.
"It intrigued me," he says. "I never thought of spelling bees outside of the elementary school competitions many of us did in our youth or the hard-core national competition you can watch on ESPN now. What would be the appeal for an adult in this world of spell check and autocorrect on our computers and phones? Why would someone want to sign up for a competition that classifies you as a 'senior' at age 50?"
After attending a competition in Glen Ellyn, Fuller got his answer: Your competitive juices continue to flow, regardless of age.
That was articulated well in Fuller's Saturday Page 1 story by Aurora's Landa Midgely, a human quote machine. Talking about an opponent she expected to face again, she told Fuller, "I suspect he is the type of person who reads the dictionary or something like that ... When you talk to him, tell him, 'Look out.'"
Midgley's competitor, 69-year-old John Wohlert of St. Charles, does read the dictionary. It's part of his preparation for the contests, and it earned him a spot on the rostrum in Springfield. In the regionals, he correctly spelled a word no doubt familiar to all: "cloisonné."
While senior spellers might not appear as stressed or fidgety as the youngsters competing on national TV, there is, indeed, pressure. Wohlert put it very well: "Think about the word bouillabaisse," he said. "You may see it in a cookbook or restaurant menu many times. Try to spell it under pressure. See what happens."
Tracey Colagrossi, president of the sponsoring Association of Illinois Senior Centers association, agreed the senior bees can get pretty intense.
"You're not cliff diving," she said, "but there's an adrenaline rush that comes with the amount of pressure you feel in these competitions while you're spelling in front of a lot of people."
Midgely and Wohlert were among the engaging local folks Fuller talked to, but for him "the icing on the cake" was discovering two-time reigning state spelling champ Lisa Barker, who lives in a home for the blind.
"Really," Fuller said, "who would be a less likely champ than someone who is challenged to see the words she is asked to spell? "
So, he got in touch with Barker, 53, who not only studies words herself (she can see print if it's big enough), but leads practice every week in the spring for other residents of the Mary Bryant Home for the Blind in Springfield. She knows the pressure, too. "My worst fear is I am going to make a stupid mistake and miss a word I actually know for some reason."
Come to think of it, all these "seniors" were pretty darned quotable.
Barker put the point of these competitions in perfect perspective, providing a perfect ending to Fuller's story.
"Just because we live here, and we're older, doesn't mean our brains have stopped," she said. "I haven't lost it yet. And I don't plan on losing it for a long time."
jdavis@dailyherald.com