The stage is set for the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Bee will take place today through Thursday (May 27, 28 and 29) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Maine has 2 representatives (by the way I just spelled 'representatives' wrong...thank you auto-correct.) They are Lucy Tumavicus, 14, 8th grader from Lncoln Middle School, Portland and Nathan Manaker, 12, 7th grader from Orono Middle School, Orono.

The 87th annual National Spelling Bee will have 281 spellers from eight countries: the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Competitors hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense Schools in Europe. The competition began with more than 11 million students participating in classrooms, schools and locally-sponsored spelling bees. Only 281, or the top .000026%, will compete in the national championship and from those many millions, only one will rise to the top.

When the spellers were asked what their favorite word was, these were the top responses: bibliophile, effervescent, gestalt, kerfuffle, schottische and snickersnee.

ESPN will broadcast the Championship Finals on Thursday. ESPN...yeah, I can spell that!

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