In the first round, the teammates were allowed to consult with each other before writing the word on a white board. This led to mixed results for Edward's team:
After 20 minutes, the first round ended and the judges (including John) counted up how many words each team had spelled correctly. The top two teams advanced to the next round, which was oral. Edward's team missed it by one word, but he was still enthusiastic about staying to see the outcome.
The format worked well to keep the kids engaged without getting discouraged. They weren't automatically "out" with just one word misspelled and they didn't feel defeated when they got three wrong in a row (Edward.) In the car on the way home, he exclaimed, "I had a GREAT time!" John later learned that at least part of that glee was due to the cookie each kid got when it was over. Still, I think he'll be back next year.
