Have you ever seen the movie Bad Wordsstarring Jason Bateman? It's about a grown man who uses a loophole to compete in a spelling bee for children. Hilarity ensues. As well as being a darn good movie and Mr. Bateman's directorial debut, Bad Words puts a well-deserved spotlight on the trials and tribulations of the kids who compete in one of the most underappreciated scholastic contests.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee happens May 31 through June 1 and has been one of the premier spelling bees in the nation for about 95 years. Ahead of this year's competition, BetColorado has come up with some statistics that should get fans of the English language in the Centennial State excited about the possibility of two championships coming home to Colorado to kick off the summer.

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According to their research, Colorado ranks number three on the list of states with the most spelling bee winners. The Centennial State is home to seven nationally-recognized, expert spellers. This ties us with Pennsylvania, putting us behind my home state of Ohio and their nine winners, and giving me the joy of having two of the top states to be proud of. I mean, I did spend a lot of time in Pennsylvania when I lived in Western New York, so a case could be made that I'm allowed to claim three.

Who holds the top spot, you might ask? Well, believe it or not, Texas is the home of 15 winners of the Scripps Bee, leaving the Lone Star State with a very comfortable number-one position. When you consider that, at one time, Texas produced most of the textbooks used in American classrooms, that number starts to make a little more sense.

Nevertheless, Colorado has the opportunity to bring our record up to Ohio's, this year, with two kids representing our state. If you're interested in who's leading the charge for Colorado at the spelling bee in 2023, you can learn more at spellingbee.com. I think I speak for all of us when I wish these kids the best of luck at the spelling bee!

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