Typical spelling bees evoke images of nervous children and over zealous parents gathered in a hot school cafeteria for hours of wearisome attempts at a spelling victory.

On Saturday, the Athens-Clarke Literacy Council will hold its fourth annual spelling bee, a competition bringing a whole new meaning to traditional spelling bees.

Nine teams will compete in the bee in an effort to raise money for the ACLC. Teams include Clarke County School District, Classic City Roller Girls (last year’s runner-up), the Triplets, UGA Libraries, Athens Technical College, Rotary International, “The Georgia Review,” The Catholic Center (last year’s winner), and Weekday Gourmet.

“Our teams are very competitive and spend a lot of time preparing for the big showdown so the event is very fun to watch,” said board member and co-chair of the spelling, Sarah McKee.

“And all money goes to important local literacy organizations.”

Far from ordinary, each team has a unique background. The Triplets, for example, are comprised of identical twins and their friend. Liz Vasconcelos Hammock, Elaine D’Sa, and Lindy Cox are competing for the The Catholic Center at the University. The Rotary International team is comprised of international high school students.

The Classic City Roller Girls, Athens’ local roller derby team’s three players, Poke A. Dot, the Interceptor, and Rudy Huxtabrawl (all stage names), are competing again this year. The roller girls have their own spell off to select the representing competitors.

“We’ve been trash talking a little, so we’re hoping to take it all, but mostly we’re in it to support a really great cause,” Sheila McAlister, or “Poke A. Dot” said. “It is also a really great way for the community to get to know the roller derby girls, not only do we get to compete, but we also use this opportunity to thanks Athens for supporting us.”

Members of the UGA Libraries team or “Thesaurus Rex” are Abby Griner, Catherine Lind, and Julia Thomas.

“This is my second year competing in the spelling bee,” Griner, access and electronic records archivist at the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, said. “I got involved because I wanted to give back to the Athens community and it was a fun way to contribute to literacy, which is a very important cause.”

Members of the Clarke County School District team, also known as “Tsk, Tsk” are Steve Piazza, Joel Frey, and Kevin Smith.

“I like the friendly competition. It is exciting to compete against people who are still in college and more up to spelling date then we are,” Smith, technology integration department support service staff at Clarke County schools.

“This is something we hope to continue doing in the future because we like it. It is a worthwhile endeavor.”

Each team has three members and must submit a competition fee of $60. In addition, teams fund raise independently. The team who raises the most money receives a “Mulligan,” otherwise known as a pass for a misspelled word. In 2008 over $5,000 was raised for ACLC.

In order to prepare, teams study scripts from previous national spelling bees, as well as frequently used words in various bees.

“I think the team building, getting to know people you don’t normally interact with and finding out their knowledge,” Griner said. “It is always fun to learn strange words you’ve never heard. It makes you realize how huge the English language.”

The announcer and emcee of this event is Athens native Milton Leathers. Spelling judges David Sweat, Susan Tate, and Robin Shearer, work as judges in the Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court.

“This is my second year emceeing. The turnout is always good there are so many word freaks in Athens. There’s a lot of laughter because everyone in the room enjoys and gets a lot of bang out of it. The most fun part is being in front of a room that loves word so much and catching someone who is supposed to be an expert, like a veteran journalist; when one of them misses a word their coworkers just give them hell,” Leathers said.