When the spellers take the stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, there is one person's voice they instantly pay attention to: the voice of the Bee's head pronouncer, Jacques Bailly.
"It feels great to be back as the pronouncer for the Bee's 100th year," he said. "It's just it's a huge honor and privilege in my life."
Now a college professor, Bailly's role as the Bee's pronouncer began more than 20 years ago. However, he became a part of the Bee's storied history much earlier — becoming the champion 45 years ago.
"The Bee has changed a lot since I won the competition back in 1980. It was basically really, really hot TV lights. So, you were sweating up there," Bailly said. "The words are a lot harder since I was in the bee."
RELATED STORY | Young scholars ready to shine at the centennial Scripps National Spelling Bee
Also at the bee is someone else with a voice spellers know: head judge Mary Brooks, who has been a part of the competition for more than 50 years.
"Being back as the head judge for the Scripps National Spelling Bee 100th year is surreal," Brooks said. "It allows me to think back to over half of these 100 years that I've been participating in the Bee, with so many great memories."
At her side at the judge's table is the all-dreaded antique bell, which rings out when a speller gets a word wrong.
"It's just one of those timeless pieces," she said, "and now the sound of it, that's the sound of the Scripps National Spelling Bee."
RELATED STORY | Buzz builds ahead of the 100th year for the Scripps National Spelling Bee
The sound of the Bee would not be complete without her encouraging words to spellers, spoken to them before they leave the stage, after a misspelling.
"I don't really want to ring that bell," Brooks said. "But when I do, I know that that speller is going to, in that moment, experience the disappointment and then give me the opportunity to say something to them to make them know how valuable and how appreciated and how well they did in the competition."
It's a competition that has stood the test of time.
Programming Note: You can watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee during a live, two-night event, with the semi-finals on May 28th and the finals on May 29th. It all starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central streaming on Scripps News and over-the-air on our sister station, Ion Television.
