I want to share my experience with spelling bees when I was a kid. Even though sports weren't really my thing, I started doing spelling bees in elementary and middle school. It was a big deal for me and really changed my life.

The library and the librarian there made me feel at home. She pushed me to try my first spelling bee in third grade.

Getting ready for that first spelling bee was tough, especially since I didn't have a lot of time. I had to prepare over Thanksgiving break and the spelling bee was right when we got back to school.

So what did I do? I spent my entire Thanksgiving break with my nose in the dictionary! From sun up to sun down, I was looking at words and learning how to spell them. I wanted that win so badly that I was set on making it happen no matter what.

The First Word - The First Practice

I'll never forget my first word: W-I-N-D-O-W. When I spelled it right, I was over the moon! That feeling pushed me through the first round where I made the top 20.

Getting that far in my very first spelling bee answer was a huge deal. I had never won anything in a competition before in my life.

So what was my plan for round two? You guessed it - I spent all of Christmas break with my head in the dictionary again! It worked for round one, so I figured it would help me in the next round too.

When it was time for the next round in the cafeteria/auditorium, being up on that stage felt incredible. I could see my folks in the crowd and I just knew I could take home the win. I wanted it so bad.

The Bitter Moment of my First Spelling Bee Experience!

They announced that the top 10 spellers would move on to the district spelling bee. We'd be going up against kids from all the other elementary schools.

Each round knocked out a few more kids. Bit by bit it got down to only 15 of us hanging on.

And then I got the word "weight". I was positive I knew it. I put the "I" before "E" because of the little rhyme. But I was wrong! Just like that, my first ever spelling bee was done. I was heartbroken. That letdown stayed with me the whole weekend.

How I Got Back Up? - The Success Mantra!

When I dragged myself to the library that next Monday, the librarian asked if I knew where I messed up. I said it's 'cause I'm just a loser. She set me straight real quick.

She told me if I wanted to crush it next year, I needed to actually practice spelling, not only read the dictionary. She laid out a game plan for me:

• Read a bunch of books to learn new words
• Write out my homework questions and answers
• Study spelling bee word lists
• Keep a journal and write my own stories to practice

Success Comes Right After the Fall!

Fast forward to fourth grade. I breezed through the classroom round and the library round. Making the top 20 again was a piece of cake.

When Christmas break rolled around, I was pumped to have made it that far. But a little part of me was worried about getting knocked out again. So I practiced like there was no tomorrow. I did free writing, I went over words I thought might come up. I used up whole notebooks.

And it all paid off. I made the top 10! I was going to be repping Bancroft Elementary in the district spelling bee. I almost couldn't believe it.

Road to Victory!

I will always remember that day. It was January 28th, 1986. That morning in class, we all watched the space shuttle Challenger take off on TV. I still remember how shocked I was seeing it blow up. That image is burned into my brain.

The spelling bee had a really heavy vibe that night. We took a moment of silence for the astronauts. Every word I spelled, I dedicated to them. Each one I got right was in their honor.

I was laser-focused on nailing each word. I hardly even noticed when it got down to the last 3. And then it was just me and one other kid, going head-to-head. The pressure was crazy.

The Final Moments

The other kid messed up his word. I was one word away from winning it all. If I got it right, the trophy was mine. But if I got it wrong, he'd get another chance.

I misspelled "geographic". To this day, I still trip up on that word because of that spelling bee. I was crushed. But I was also a finalist. For the first time ever, I had achieved something big.

That spelling bee taught me so much:

• Hard work and practice really do pay off
• When I set my mind to something, I have what it takes to succeed
• I could take on new challenges like soccer and scouting

I kept doing spelling bees all the way through 8th grade. When I got to high school, they didn't have them anymore. But I've always carried those lessons with me.