Winning the Rocky Mountain News Colorado Spelling Bee and earning a trip to Washington, D.C., for the national competition are memorable events for any youngster.

But how does it feel a few years, or even decades, later?

Below, former champs and one who came close to winning talk about how the experience affected them.

Matt Winkel, 30

• Won the state spelling bee in 1991

• Winning word: blandishment

Sixteen years after he nailed "blandishment" to win the Colorado state spelling bee, Matt Winkel still gets asked how to spell words.

"I've become a human spell checker" for friends, Winkel said.

Winkel, a software engineer, said he does not think about his state championship much.

But he wishes he had studied more for the competition.

"I didn't practice nearly enough. My mom was my coach, and she was the one who pushed me."

Winkel's mother taught him that knowing root words can help in spelling.

"The roots are really good to get into. You can spell even if you never heard the word before," Winkel said.

Winkel has another piece of advice for kids in the competition today: "Speak softly and carry a big dictionary."

Molly Baker, 37

• Won the state and national bees in 1982

• Winning word at state: recrudescent

• Winning word at national: psoriasis

When Molly Baker saw her neighbor, Jacques Bailly, take the trophy for the Colorado spelling bee on television in 1980, she knew what she wanted.

"If he could do it, I could do it," Baker said to herself. "I asked his mom for help and she coached me."

Baker said good spellers are typically born with the talent.

"If you're a decent speller, you can study and improve," she said. "I definitely had the spelling gene."

The Philadelphia author and former journalist said winning the spelling bees were big deals to her at the time. Today, she doesn't even remember her winning word at the state competition.

"The spelling bee gave me a confidence boost. Anything to give confidence to kids is great," she said.

Nina Choy, 27

Placed second at the Colorado spelling bee in 1993

• Word misspelled: incontrovertible

When a fellow contestant had to spell a word she knew, Nina Choy would say to herself, "Why couldn't I get that word?"

"It's luck of the draw," Choy said. "It's truly a big gamble what words you get."

Choy did not get lucky when she was asked to spell incontrovertible.

"It's not one of those words that comes up very often. It's more of a legal term," she said.

Despite the loss, Choy said the competition and the ability to spell correctly helped her become the well-rounded person she is today.

"It always made me a better speaker and writer," she said.

Choy, a first lieutenant engineer in the Air Force, has no regrets about entering the bee.

"Of course you're disappointed because nobody likes to be second," she said. "But, think about how many people did not even make it to the state competition. Second place is pretty good."

Pratyush Buddiga, 17

Won the state and national bees in 2001

• Winning word at state: osculatory

• Winning word at national: prospicience

Pratyush Buddiga has found that not much rivals the pressure of a spelling competition.

"There's thousands of people looking, and all the lights are on you," said Buddiga, a senior at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs. "The pressure - I miss it."

Buddiga plays cricket and participates in geography contests to feed his competitive nature. But he knows they're not the same as standing on a stage and being asked to spell a word.

"The pressure is a great feeling," he said. "I really want to win. I don't like the feeling of losing. It's not a sporting event but the preparation is very similar. It's tough."

Buddiga has not yet picked a college or course of study.

He is certain about one thing when he attends college.

"I will do more competitions."

Where to go

Rocky Mountain News 67th annual Colorado State Spelling Bee

• When: Today; registration begins at 7 a.m.; contestants will take a 50-word written test at 8:30 a.m.; oral competition open to the public will begin at 1 p.m.

• Where: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St.

• Who: 282 kids from around the state will compete.

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