Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com
Want to sharpen your mind? Take a page from elementary school kids and participate in a spelling bee.
A national spelling bee for adults 50 and over is the brain child of AARP. This is the 14th year the group has sponsored the event, which will take place June 20 in Cheyenne, Wyo.
The bee consists of two rounds of competition, beginning with a 100-word written competition in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 15 spellers who go on to compete in the oral spelling rounds. Spellers are allowed to miss three words in the oral rounds before being knocked out of the competition.
"Some spellers have told us that they enter the bee because they had performed well in a spelling bee when they were younger, and they want to test themselves again," said Brian Greene, AARP spokesman. "What they realize is that a lifetime of learning and reading has made them a much better and more confident speller."
Under the Spell
And then there are the cognitive benefits of memorization, learning new words
and reading the dictionary. It's all related to brain
fitness, a field that uses everything from online computer games to
crosswords to enhance brain speed and accuracy of processing information.
Such fitness exercises are increasingly seen as a way to slow some natural effects of aging and delay the onset of memory-loss. The ability to process visual information faster could even be essential to daily tasks like driving that help people maintain a sense of independence.
AARP's spelling bee was founded in 1996 by a group of Cheyenne AARP members who wanted to challenge older adults to keep their minds on the ball as they age. The event attracts adults from all over the US and Canada.
Larry Grossman, 56, of Northwood, N.D. won the championship last year by correctly spelling "debouch," which means to emerge.
AARP recently began online registration for the event. Entries are due by June 14th. The organization's web site has complete rules and other information.
