Senior Services Center holds spelling bee for older adults

State Representative Bob Pritchard (left) leads the Illinois State Senior Spelling Bee on Friday at the Senior Services Center in DeKalb. (Wendy Kemp – For the Daily Chronicle)

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DeKALB – It was down to six and the pressure was palpable.

Contestants, all 60 or older, sat side-by-side Friday morning in the front row at the Family Service Agency’s Senior Services Center in DeKalb. Awaiting their challenge, the group had already outlasted about 15 peers during preliminary spelling bee competitions held this week.

But only one reigned champion Friday, when the senior center hosted its final Senior Spelling Bee, from which the top two spellers will move on to a regional bee – one of 13 in the state. Rudy Schoppe, 75, out-spelled Phyllis Tyma, 82, after 23 rounds of being faced with words including diplomat, hustle, denture and earthenware.

“I just want to say that Phyllis is a wonderful speller,” Schoppe said upon winning by correctly spelling the word rouge.

“It’s just a matter of the luck of the draw and what words you get,” he added.

Tyma was relieved the heated battle was over, she said, noting that her nerves sometimes get the best of her.

Those participating in recent spelling bees had been practicing since January, said Mary Overbey, director of the Senior Services Center. The event was meant to expand offerings at the facility, which serves all of DeKalb County.

“We have recently incorporated many new activities here,” Overbey said. “A few asked, ‘Can we do crossword puzzles,’ or ‘Can we play scrabble?’ And I told them, ‘We can do one better. We can spell!SSRq”

Both Schoppe and Tyma will compete in a regional spelling bee in June, from which the top two spellers will progress to the state finals.

State Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, thinks activities like Friday’s spelling bee are necessary to uphold the goal of being a lifelong learner.

“Things like this keep people engaged and alert,” said Pritchard, who pronounced the words Friday during the spelling bee.

Asked whether he will ever opt to participate in a spelling bee himself, Pritchard joked that he wouldn’t make it past the first round.

“We all have our limitations,” he said with a laugh.

Friday was Schoppe’s first spelling bee, he said, noting that he used to watch his children compete.

“I’m so old, I don’t think they had spelling bees when I was a kid,” said Schoppe, who proudly wore his champion medal to a bridge game Friday afternoon. “You always feel good about winning.”

He chose to participate because he has always been a good speller, he said, adding that imperfect hearing was his biggest hurdle during Friday’s spell-off.

About 25 people watched the competition Friday. Among them was 73-year-old Homer Grady, who said he spends a lot of time at the center and wanted to see how he fared against the others.

He kept a notebook of the words and even wrote a poem about the spelling bee.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” he said, adding that poetry, not spelling, is his forte.

Overbey hopes to continue offering new activities at the senior center and looks forward to seeing how Schoppe and Tyme fare at the regional spelling bee.

“We try to have something for everybody,” she said. “Everyone, of course, is welcome.”