Third Time’s the Charm For El Camino Real

El Camino Real High School won the national academic decathlon title Sunday, becoming the third Los Angeles school in five years to earn that distinction.

The victory was a sweet reward for the Woodland Hills campus, whose previous teams had settled for second place each of the last two years.

“We finally made the top,” said senior Adi Zarchi, 17. “It’s all good.”

The win marked the latest dominant showing by a school from the Los Angeles Unified School District, whose schools have placed first in the national event five times since the competition was inaugurated 17 years ago.

Marshall High School in Los Feliz won the decathlon in 1995 and 1987, while Taft High School in Woodland Hills claimed the title in 1994 and 1989.

One official who helped coordinate the event but asked not to be identified said Los Angeles schools have excelled because the school district, the second largest in the nation with 681,000 students, has such a large pool of talent. The official also said that the decathlon is highly competitive in California.

“These people work hard to get where they are at,” the official said. “They take it very seriously. Not that other schools don’t, but they spend a lot of time, they prepare well.”

The El Camino students hugged and wept as their victory was announced Sunday morning, and they received a standing ovation as their parents snapped pictures inside a convention banquet hall.

An El Camino teacher pulled out a trumpet he brought for the occasion and played “California, Here I Come,” as the eight team members strode to the stage and collected their glass trophy.

The win was a triumphant finale to a grueling year.

“The relief is tremendous,” coach Mark Johnson said. “This team not only had brains, but the personalities. All the ingredients.”

The national title meant one other thing.

“No Spam tonight,” said senior Carina Yuen, a reference to the cans of meat piled in the middle of El Camino’s table that the students had pledged to eat had they lost.

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Rival coaches say El Camino’s consistent success is the result of a highly organized and demanding program. Students this year spent up to 50 hours a week studying everything from musical theory to chemical equations.

Each El Camino student also read “Jane Eyre” five times, and the eight decathlon students together took more than 450 multiple-choice practice tests.

El Camino avenged last year’s loss to James E. Taylor High School of suburban Houston. This time, it was Taylor that settled for second.

And El Camino walked away with a keepsake: the straw broom Taylor had brought to this year’s decathlon, thinking it would sweep the competition.

“I am so excited,” said senior Taimur Baig, 17. “I can’t describe it.”

Parents and teachers knew exactly how to describe it.

“What a team,” said Austin Fu, whose daughter, Nancy, a junior, earned the top individual score on the El Camino squad.

Fu was one of more than 40 supporters who came to cheer on a squad that also includes seniors Michael Beatty, Elana Pelman, Bruce Ngo and Steve Chae.

The teenagers spent nearly a year preparing for the contest, which featured 333 other students from 37 other states--all competing in a scholarly battle of brains and stamina. The students took exams, gave speeches, and wrote essays on math, science, literature, social studies and other topics.

Students were required to have a vast store of knowledge. They were asked questions about the lives of great composers such as Igor Stravinsky, to solve complicated trigonometry problems and to analyze poetry.

And the Super Quiz part of the contest asked students about various aspects of global economics, including inflation, interest rates, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the International Monetary Fund.

El Camino racked up 52,131 out of a possible 60,000 points in 10 events, the second-highest score in the event’s history.

And the team did it with just eight members, one less than squads from other states. One El Camino student quit after the triumphant city championship in February rather than face the continued pressure.

Taylor High of Texas finished with 51,190 points. Mountain View High School in Mesa, Ariz., placed third, with 50,643 points.

El Camino’s win was decisive, as team members repeatedly stepped forward to collect medals for high scores.

All decathlon teams include students who have “A,” “B” and “C” grade averages, and all of El Camino’s scored big.

Fu earned the third-highest score among “A” students. Zarchi earned the highest score among “B” students. Pelman received the highest point total among the “C” students, while Baig got the third-highest score in that category.

El Camino dominated the language and literature portion of the decathlon, which tested the participants on their knowledge of poetry and the novel “Jane Eyre.” The team earned five gold medals for highest scores. And El Camino placed second in the Super Quiz, behind the Arizona high school team.

As the team celebrated over a spaghetti dinner Sunday night, their coaches expressed satisfaction over a related decathlon matter--the school district paid only to send administrators to the event, not the teachers who helped prepare the team. Seven teachers who worked with the El Camino squad had to pay their own way to Providence.

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The coaches and district Assistant Supt. Dan Isaacs discussed the issue Saturday night, and said the matter had been resolved. Isaacs said he asked the coaches to write up a proposal so the district could provide assistance.

But that issue was far from the minds of teachers and administrators Sunday as they celebrated the first-place finish for their school.

“I’m so happy for the students and parents,” said El Camino Principal Ron Bauer. “I’m speechless.”

The El Camino team is flying home today. The school is planning a rally Tuesday. And on Thursday, coaches Dave Roberson and Johnson will hold their first meeting to begin recruiting next year’s team.

The coaches want to win another national title, this one on home turf. Next year’s national decathlon will be held at Cal State Fullerton.

All the hours of study, all the sacrifices, are part of the worthwhile experience, the coaches said.

“My God, to finally punch it out, to have all these people here for us,” Roberson said. “We worked our tails off. We got it.”