By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
It didn’t happen on a field or a court; the location
was a retrofitted warehouse overlooking a baseball field. Under the participants’ feet wasn’t hardwood,
grass or synthetic turf; it was ordinary high traffic carpet. No one was wearing cleats, helmets or eye
black. There wasn’t a scoreboard or clock. No ball was ever in play, no whistle was ever
blown. Except for occasional encouraging
and tension-cutting applause, the crowd was silent. Nevertheless, the pressure and competition
were real. As every contender received
their next challenge, a nervous hush fell across the room; as each letter was
sheepishly spoken, the anxiety swelled.
That was the scene a couple weeks ago for the Maryland
Sports Spelling Bee held at the B&O Warehouse in Baltimore. The competition was for middle school
children (mostly…there was one brave and talented third grader). I was fortunate to be in attendance, but it
was a humbling experience. As a
fledgling writer, I considered myself a decent speller. Full disclosure: I would’ve struggled to make
it past the third round. These kids were
impressive. Smart. Poised.
Respectful. The story was all
about them; this article will be too - eventually.
Maryland has always been my home. I have lived in Leonardtown, Catonsville,
Baltimore, Towson, Cockeysville, Severna Park, Chesapeake Beach, Great Mills
and, finally and currently, Leonardtown again.
My in-state exploration has taken me to Maryland’s western panhandle
many times – for ‘Skins camp at Frostburg and weekends at Deep Creek Lake – and
across the Eastern Shore to Ocean City and the sandy beaches of Worcester
County.
What I have always cherished about Maryland is that it
feels like America in miniature. The Old
Line State has mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches and the largest estuary on the
continent. Like small towns, mid-sized
towns or large cities? Urban
living? Rural living? Dig one-bedroom downtown apartments or
expansive farms? Maryland has it all –
Goldilocks “just right” scenarios for everyone.
History? Yeah, it has it that too:
Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key, the Star-Spangled Banner, the birthplace of
Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis
(the one-time nation’s capital), Dr. Samuel Mudd’s House, and four signers of
the Declaration of Independence. I’ll
stop there. You get (and feel) the
point.
Back to those kids, the master spellers: as their
lives unfurl, many will likely grow far more expansive roots than mine, ones
that extend to other states, regions and countries. For the moment, though, they are all, like me
and many of you, Maryland residents. Beyond
that fundamental, shared trait, the diversity within this group of great minds
was obvious. As each child introduced
themselves and their school, it was clear they had come from all over the state
(including several from Southern Maryland) – from those aforementioned Maryland
mountains and towns and cities. Various
races and, no doubt, religions were represented. There was no discernable gender disparity
between the competitors. Some kids were
more reserved in nature; others were more gregarious. All were brilliant, all were there, at the
B&O Warehouse, to do their best and share this wonderful experience. Much like a basketball that’s shot, a
football that’s thrown or a baseball that’s hit, the words didn’t care about
the speller’s background, residence, skin color or gender. Most importantly, the kids didn’t seem to
care either. They were, above all else,
Maryland middle school students trying their best to navigate challenging offerings
from the English language. There was
ultimately a winner, but there were no losers.
It was Maryland at its best. It was America in miniature, or at least what
she should be, if we could only get past the unfounded fears, prejudice and
hate of the different. If those
afflicted could only overcome the suspicions, reject divisive rhetoric and
commit to extinguishing the cancerous “isms” that create various versions of
America and inequitable access to her promised liberties and opportunities. If only…
Until then, this example from a flock of Maryland middle
schoolers will serve as a picture of what is possible and what the American
idea contemplates. The day was simply, and
after receiving the word origin and hearing it in a sentence, b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.
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