Spelling Bee Veterans Recall Their Competitive Days

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – You couldn't blame either Anna Grimaldo or Eric Landreneau if their palms got a little sweaty as they worked as volunteers during the written round of the 2016 CBS Bay Area Spelling Bee.

As youngsters both took part in the Bee -- Grimaldo in her native Idaho and Landreneau in Louisiana.

"It's just great seeing kids excited about words," Grimaldo told KPIX 5 as she watched this year's hopeful compete for a spot in the finals that will be aired this Saturday at noon on KBCW.

Currently a student at UC Berkeley, Grimaldo said she still keeps in contest with many of those she competed against at the 2009 national finals.

"Spelling alongside all those kids that I still keep in touch with, it was just great," she said.

Landreneau took part in the national bee three times in the early 1990s.

"It was kind of a way to show off that you did all this hard work and that you could actually accomplish something even though you were in elementary school," he said.

Landreneau represented Alexandria, Louisiana. He and his wife, Rica, both volunteered at the written elimination round in Berkeley.

He says he still uses those skills in his work as a software engineer.

"In software engineering, if you misspell anything, then the computer will complain when you try to compile the code," he said.

Rica, herself, was a former contestant in the Bay Area regional bee. She said her experience led to her choice of minors in college.

"It influenced my decision to minor in English," she said.

While none of them won the national title, Grimaldo and the Landreneaus say just taking part in the Bee will always have a positive impact on their life.