Scripps National Spelling Bee: Schedule, Preview and Prediction

Every year the Scripps National Spelling Bee brings hope to millions of kids around the world who can't shoot basketballs, tackle the ball carrier or juke a defender and score the winning goal.

All you have to do is spell, and you can be a champion.

Now, to be fair, the contestants at the world's most famous spelling bee aren't sounding out the words dog, fish or ball—it's a little bit harder than that. Let's try staphylococci or esquamulose instead.

Um, can I get that used in a sentence?

The point is, it's much easier said (or spelled) than done, so give credit where credit is due. I'm sure this year's competitors in the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been mulling over their dictionaries and are preparing to sound out seven-syllable words, so the least we can do is tune in, right?

Here's all the information you need to know:

What: Scripps National Spelling Bee

When: Preliminaries—Wednesday, May 30 at 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN3.com

Semifinals—Thursday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2

Championship Finals—Thursday, May 31 at 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3

Preview

Last year's winner, Sukanya Roy, won by spelling the word cymotrichous, which according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means "having the hair wavy." I can't even pronounce it correctly.

The year before, Anamika Veeramani won with the word stromuhr, which I didn't even know existed.

My point is, it's going to be a tough competition, and these spellers are going to have to have an incredibly deep wealth of knowledge on both spelling and definitions, if they want to come away the winner.

Prediction

I believe I have found my candidate to win it all.

Check out Sumaita Mulk's resume and training regimen, according to Catherine Holland of azfamily.com:

"Sumaita Mulk of Goodyear became Arizona's top speller when she won the 13th annual AEF Arizona Spelling Bee back in March. She won on the word oubliette, which is a type of dungeon with an opening only at the top.

Since that big win, she's been studying and practicing an hour or two every day to prepare for next week's National Spelling Bee. She will will join 276 other spellers vying for the title of 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion."

A type of dungeon with an opening only at the top?

I'm telling you, if Sumaita knows that, then she has to know just about any word they could throw at her at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Add that to the fact that she's been studying and practicing an hour or two every day, according to Holland's report, and there is no way I can pick against her.

Spell it out folks. W.I.N.N.E.R.