I was in a spelling bee in the 60’s (5th grade). It came down to me and my cousin. Word after word. Finally the teacher running the bee flipped a coin and I lost. Scarred me for life...
Is your cousin still gloating?
In the 9th grade semifinals the prettiest and most popular girl in the school lost to me also by a coin toss.
The school grapevine twittered (not the electronic kind!) about the raw deal she got.
Years after high school, I heard that she died of her own hand.
Spelling bees. More brutal than they may seem.