Formula for Success

It wasn’t all just study.

The two best science teams in the city spent a lot of hours preparing before their first- and second-place wins at the Los Angeles Regional Science Bowl on Sunday.

But they had a lot of fun, too.

Members of North Hollywood High School’s Team A, which took first place in the competition, and Team B, which placed second, have bonded through the 100 or so grueling hours of training.

The five Team A members Vinly Eng, Alec Bellanca, Nina Han, Iris Ahronowitz and Paul Lakin were saluted Wednesday at a campus rally along with their Team B comrades.

The two teams practiced at least once a week on their own time, sharpening their mental skills with one another.

“After the practices, we used to go home and call each other on the phone and practice,” said Tyler Rubin, who along with Natalie Stein, Jeff Zira, David Yau and Erik Peterson, is a member of Team B.

But the preparation didn’t consist solely of reading lofty publications and hunkering down over textbooks.

To inspire themselves, they watched videos of such movies as “Real Genius” and “Hoosiers.”

They also read “horrible, horrible” poetry.

“We read the poems in the middle of the night and we laughed and laughed and laughed. That’s how we bonded,” Paul said.

Shared experiences on a January trip to Lake Arrowhead helped them fuse as a team, like the time Iris’ dad stopped on the shoulder of the San Bernardino Freeway and they watched as he retrieved Nina’s sleeping bag, which had flown off the top of the car.

The study diet of these champions consisted of lots of cola, corned beef hash--the canned kind--and burritos, they said.

Team members’ parents were supportive, taking turns bringing “real food” to late cram sessions, the students said.

In the spirit of fun, and to inspire the students, Coaches Koh Ikeda and Len Soloff, both science teachers, made promises to the team last year that involved Ikeda losing a mustache and Soloff wearing a dress.

This year, they got off easy, although Soloff was prepared.

“The kids were so confident they didn’t ask for any sacrifice, but I had a dress all picked out, just in case,” Soloff said--a bright, multicolored chiffon one.

North Hollywood’s brain squad is preparing for the national science competition in April in Washington, D.C., where last year they placed second among 8,000 students from 1,600 schools.

Team A will continue to whet its mental edge against Team B in practices until the April showdown. The practices may give them a head start for next year.

“The B-team has the edge because other teams don’t compete anymore, but our B-team will help prepare our A-team all the way up to the nationals. That should give them an advantage next year,” Soloff said.

Iris, a member of last year’s nationals team, had this advice for this year’s group as they prepare for the April contest:

“Take it one question at a time. Remember, you’re playing against the toughest teams in the nation. But whatever got you there will get you where you’re going.

“And remember to have fun.”