Let's cheer these competitors, too

Not only can some folks tell you who won what game between Sandpoint and Clark Fork or Bonners Ferry and the Bulldogs back in '53, they can tell you the score, who got which basket and the pivotal play which broke the game wide open.

And, in the same season that local basketball rivalries bring out literally thousands of fans, we're hoping similar attention can be paid to other extremely dedicated, talented competitors. Just without the noise, please.

We're talking about the spelling bees taking place over the next 10 days in five northern counties: Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah counties. All of these bees have two main purposes: To celebrate academic achievement and competition, and to advance the best of the best to the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee at North Idaho College on March 10.

The winner and a guardian will go on an all-expense paid, week-long trip to the national competition in Washington, D.C., in late spring. That's paid for by this newspaper, which is proud to be sponsoring the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee for the fourth consecutive year.

With our partners at NIC, we encourage parents, friends and other relatives to get out and support their students in this tournament-style event. If you're new to the spelling bee game, we recommend two movies available at most video stores: "Spellbound" (2003) and "Akeelah and the Bee" (2006). Both are poignant, suspenseful and thoroughly entertaining family films. They also very accurately reflect the mounting difficulty and pressure young spellers encounter in these intense competitions.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome and thank a new team of NIC volunteers who will handle challenging duties on March 10. They are:

Bob Bennett, emcee and word pronouncer

Muriel Hebert, judge

Rebecca McNeill, judge

Ann Bonner, judge

None of this would be possible without the exceptional work of another great NIC team: Michael Burke, Kent Propst, and most of all, Stacy Hudson. Hudson has been the heavy lifter, coordinating all of the area bees and planning the big bee every year.

So from all of us to the hundreds, if not thousands of young spellers competing throughout North Idaho, we wish you the very best of luck. No matter what happens these next couple of weeks, your friends, parents and schools are extremely proud of you.