High School Elite Go Head to Head in Academic Decathlon

They were hunkered down Friday, focusing on what will soon be the most intense 11 hours of their high school careers.

In last-minute cram sessions across the Los Angeles Unified School District, hundreds of competitors were readying themselves for what has become one of the most hotly contested and widely watched high school rivalries.

It’s not a basketball tournament. It’s not a football game. It’s a test.

During today’s 14th annual Los Angeles Unified Academic Decathlon, 495 students from 55 teams will be burning up their memory banks and racking their brains in response to an overwhelming battery of exams, speech and essay contests, and interviews.

And according to coaches and students, the pressure to excel is extreme.

“You wouldn’t believe the psychological warfare that goes on,” said David Roberson, coach of El Camino Real High School’s team. “I’ve coached football and golf and they’re nothing like this. Nothing comes close to preparing for the pressure of the decathlon.”

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Part of that pressure stems from the rampant, behind-the scenes handicapping of teams among coaches, who make a hobby of trying to predict the outcome by studying the results of scrimmages and practice tests. They analyze the significance of the number of returning team members, and even the number of years the coach has led the team.

Four-time winner Taft High School took the city, state and national championships last year and is favored by many to win for a third consecutive year.

The team’s coach, Arthur Berchin, is described by other coaches as obsessive. On Friday, he refused to be interviewed about his team’s preparations and kept his “players” equally off limits.

“That even convinces me more that Taft is going to win,” said Dan Speltner, a former decathlon coach from Dorsey High School. “It’s that competitive.”

But with five Marshall High School students returning from last year’s second-place team, some believe they may have the upper hand. Returning students often bring perspective, experience and insight that benefit first-time team members, veteran coaches said.

Other schools consistently in the running have been El Camino Real, Venice, University and Palisades high schools. And some say that North Hollywood, Canoga, Van Nuys and Garfield are dark horse candidates.

Each nine-member team at the decathlon is handpicked from the brightest members of the student body in three categories, grouped according to grade-point average.

Students spend up to five hours a day preparing for the tests in 10 academic events: including economics, fine arts and mathematics.

The Super Quiz, to be held today in the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center, is the only event open to the public, and it attracts raucous boosters from every school. The topic this year: biotechnology.

Although winners from the Super Quiz are announced immediately, the overall winning team will be announced at a banquet Nov. 29.

In March, the district champions will compete in a statewide decathlon in Fresno.

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Around the city, students prepared Friday in a variety of ways. Many were pulled out of classes and spent all day brushing up on weak events. At Chatsworth High School, team members took the day off to study at home.

The El Camino Real team, wearing elegant dark-blue “1994-95 Aca Deca Squad” (short for academic decathlon) jackets, took a short break from their studies Friday afternoon to hear last-minute advice from speech coach Sharon Markenson. Then they ate strudel from the team’s well-stocked classroom refrigerator.

“I’m nervous as hell,” said Arabella David, a junior. “This is the culmination of eight months of studying. Our only thought is to beat Taft.”

Another El Camino Real team member, junior Dale Shuger, said the weeks of stress and staying at school until 10 p.m. were too much. She will not be coming back next year.

“Once is understandable, but twice is kind of stupid,” Dale said. “It’s just a lot of work.”

The El Camino Real team said they deal with pre-competition jitters by using deep breathing exercises. “It helps keep you calm and focused,” Arabella said.