From Lane to the spelling bee

LANE — Helen Belt remembers arguing with her father about the spelling of Cincinnati.

It was during a lunch break at the state spelling bee in Topeka when she was a child, about 70 years ago.

When the contest resumed, sure enough, Cincinnati was on the list. Belt spelled it her way, and she was right.

Belt qualified for the state spelling bee three years in a row when she was a child in the mid-1930s. She won first place one year but wasn’t able to attend the national contest because it was during the Great Depression.

This year, she’ll have another chance at a state spelling bee — at the age of 87.

Belt, who lives in Lane, plans to attend the Kansas Senior Spelling Bee in Salina Oct. 16, after winning the first East Central/Southeast Kansas Senior Spelling Bee at Mound City Aug. 29.

“I thought it would just be fun to see if at this ripe old age I could still do it,” she said.

Senior spelling

The AARP began organizing a national senior spelling bee in 1996 in Cheyenne, Wyo., as a way for adults to keep their minds sharp as they age. It is open to anyone age 50 and older, and registration is just $30. Next year’s national bee is June 19.

In Kansas, a group of people in Salina had a spelling bee in 1999, but didn’t begin organizing a state spelling bee until 2006. The winner of the state spelling bee receives a $1,500 scholarship toward expenses at the national bee.

When Debby Lyder, who works with information and assistance for East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging, heard about spelling bees for seniors, she was determined to have one in the area. She quickly learned how to organize a spelling bee for older adults.

Word about the state spelling bee also spread to Helen Belt. She registered for the Salina event before she found out that a regional spelling bee would be at Mound City.

“I went ahead and did this one just to see how it was done,” she said.

Eleven people from Franklin, Linn, Miami and Bourbon counties took part in the bee, including one contestant who had a hearing disability. The group practiced with a written test, then moved on to a practice round of oral spelling before the contest began.

Counting the practice round, the spellers made it through 106 words and several eliminations until it came down to Belt and Frances Marshal, of Pleasanton.

Marshal misspelled “lieutenant,” giving Belt a chance at victory. Belt spelled that word correctly, then spelled “mosquito” to take first place.

Spelling at state

She reads a lot, and just remembers proper spelling. She qualified for the state spelling bee three years in a row at Ottawa County. She can’t remember exactly when that was, but thinks she probably was between 11 and 13 years old.

“My parents, especially my dad, spent an inordinate amount of time pronouncing words to me, getting me ready,” she recalled.

Belt said she remembers her parents watching in the stands at the state Capitol as she competed in the state spelling bee. It was a different kind of contest back then, with written tests instead of oral spelling.

She also remembers how proud she felt and how proud her parents were when she won the state contest.

Those memories motivated Belt to take part in the senior spelling bee.

“It was very interesting and lots of fun,” Belt said of the event.

She’s looking forward to the Salina contest next week. If she wins, she hopes she can attend the national senior spelling bee in June.

Connect with people in southeast Franklin County and discuss this story at The CH Zone, www.chzone.ning.com