GoodHeart| Juliet Salmon attributes Spelling Bee win to her mother
New champion encourages seniors to keep their minds active
by Ainsworth Morris/Staff Reporter · The GleanerDefeating all contestants in the National Senior Spelling Bee Competition on Wednesday, Juliet Salmon says her victory is not only for her, but also for her mother, Angela McClure, who coached her and competed against her in the St Andrew parish finals.
The 61-year-old champion speller only learned about the annual competition a few months ago and thought it would be fun for both her and her 83-year-old mother to enter and compete as an extracurricular activity.
“She was my coach, and without her, I could not have done this; I came first and she came second for the parish of St Andrew,” the excited Salmon told GoodHeart at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kington on Wednesday while holding the winner’s trophy.
Salmon, who went through the day’s competition without any handicaps, said it took her two months to prepare for the parish-level competition, with her mother coaching her for two to three nights per week for half an hour each night.
Immediately before the victory, Jennifer Gordon, the first runner-up, gave up while spelling the word “chiaroscuroist,” leaving the win in Salmon’s hands.
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“I can’t spell that word. I didn’t get the paper with that, so I’m out. I wouldn’t even try. I can start it, but I won’t finish it correctly,” Gordon uttered which closed her space for the victory.
Salmon then asked for the meaning of the word before correctly pronouncing it for the moderator, who had mispronounced it, and then spelled it correctly. She was subsequently given the word “appoggiatura”, which she also pronounced correctly for the moderator after confirming its meaning, and spelled it correctly.
The competition was hosted by the National Council for Senior Citizens in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The event is part of the national activities held during Senior Citizens’ Month, which is celebrated in September.
“I saw the advertisement. I never knew it was such a thing as a National Senior Spelling Bee Championship, and I saw the advert in May/June this year, and thought this might be a fun thing for me and my mother to do together, because she is an avid reader. I’m an avid reader. We love words. We love reading, and I thought maybe we can do this together, and when I asked my mom, she said yes,” Salmon explained.
The now-retired woman said she is enjoying her twilight years with her six grandchildren while continuing her ministry, having spent decades serving at Moorlands Camp in Manchester.
“I do a lot of volunteer stuff. I’m very involved in ministry. I’m a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I look after my home and my grandchildren and I am fully occupied,” the former manager of Moorlands Camp for almost 25 years, said.
She grew up in Manchester but says her “heart is all over the place” since her husband is from St James, and they have lived in St Andrew for the past decade.
Salmon encourages all senior citizens living in Jamaica to make time for spelling and enter the parish-level competitions for the National Senior Spelling Bee Competition, as it can help keep them alive and healthy.
“This is a wonderful thing to do. If you are 60 years and over, [you should] do it! It keeps the brain cells ticking,” she said.