Registered teams will receive spelling words the last week of February

In case we did not make this crystal clear before, if your team has signed up and paid, we GIVE you the Bee words in advance. We are currently compiling a list of several hundred words; during the night of the Bee we will probably need about 200 of them. We construct rounds of about 15--20 words per round (depending on the number of teams spelling), and we have a special word list for the Championship round.

The words will be available to teams who have registered in full on or before February 25th. There is a definite advantage to having your paperwork in before the 25th, because then all you'll need to do afterwards is stop by and pick up your list. We won't be able to release the words to members of incomplete teams, so right now is the time to get yourselves organized. Pick a team name, get everyone's contact information on the same sheet. Get a 4th person to be your team's alternate if you have concerns about your teammates' availability on April 3rd (advantage: your 4th teammate might save on the entry fee, and thus can buy you a Mulligan). You can download an entry form from the Library website: www.dovertownlibrary.org.

Some teams study; some (including, as I understand it, last year's winners) do not. Having watched the Dover Bee evolve, I would venture to say that the real competition is not so much between the teams participating but rather between the teams and the word list. The teams who are not spelling in a particular round are seated together at long tables; there is a lot of good-natured conversation and camaraderie. Come check it out!