I won the school spelling bee in eighth grade. It had been less a goal than a personal expectation since I first became eligible for the spelling bee, so when I finally pulled it off, I honestly wasn’t too excited. I was just relieved that I managed to pull it off in my last chance after flopping* in each of the four years prior.
* Especially after the seventh grade debacle. You know how the classroom bee is supposed to be all easy words at the outset? I got “spittoon” as my very first word. I somehow knew the word, minus one detail; I guessed it had one T, so I was immediately eliminated, as were the eight kids after me who got handed a word they’d never even heard before.