Another mom I knew said the National Spelling Bee served a similar function. Every one of the kids who participated has won all kinds of local and regional contests. They'd always been the winners. And then they got to the top tournament that yields only one champion. It's nice for that kid to grab the brass ring. But maybe the outcome is even better for the rest, who will learn the invaluable lesson that losing is tough, but it isn't the end of the world.
