Simi Decathletes Focus on 1st Round

While academic decathletes from around the nation socialized here Wednesday night over ice cream sundaes, Simi Valley High School’s team members crammed for the first round of tests in the national finals of the Academic Decathlon.

“I’d rather not socialize,” Justin Underhill said. “I’d rather study. We have to stay focused.”

Today is the first day of the national finals of the Academic Decathlon, a two-day competition that will test the students’ knowledge, wit and stamina. About 400 students from 38 states have converged in San Antonio for an intense and long-anticipated competition.

During the contest, students will take seven written tests, deliver one prepared and one impromptu speech, write an essay, give an on-the-spot interview and answer questions in a game-show-style event.

With only 15 hours left until the first exam, Simi Valley’s decathletes holed up in their hotel rooms, surrounded by potato chips, candy bars and sodas. They reviewed chaos theory and Charlie Parker, the Suez Canal and sustainable forestry.

They took breaks only to eat--room service, of course. At a restaurant, the decathletes would have to wait for the food, which takes too long. And they’d have to study at the table, where there’s never enough light.

Late Wednesday, David Bartlett walked quickly to his coaches’ room to find an answer key to a practice test. There, file folders containing study materials covered the beds. As he headed back to his room, he said to a teammate, ‘Hey--We’re in Texas.’ ”

Kevin White responded with a smile, and said, “All I’ve seen is the inside of a hotel room for two days.”

In one room, Cary Opel and Steve Mihalovits studied intensely--without talking, without looking up, without fidgeting. Next door, Jennifer Tran tried out different ways to wear her hair for her speech and interview. First a high bun. Then a low bun. Then a ponytail.

“I’m nervous, but not a life-or-death kind of nervous,” she said. “Right now, I’m more frustrated with my hair.”

Her hotel room resembled a makeshift dormitory: A framed picture of her boyfriend was beside a box of flashcards, a four-leaf clover charm adorned her bathroom counter, and a giant Pooh Bear rested on her pillow.

Down the hall, co-coach Sally Hibbitts listened to the students’ speeches. Pretending to be a judge, she welcomed Justin and introduced him to the other judge: a lamp.

The tall teen with a reddened face and slick blond hair began his speech on youth violence. He calmly delivered the speech, throwing in a few planned hand gestures. With 30 seconds remaining, Hibbits held up a blue time card. When Justin finished, Hibbitts told him his time: 3 minutes, 47 seconds. Just in time: 13 seconds to spare, even.

“You stumbled in a few spots, so you need to go over it about 20 more times,” Hibbitts said.

“Other than that, it’s good.”

While the team spent one last night studying, the coaches attended a meeting about the coming weekend. Like nervous parents, they asked the organizers questions about meals, transportation, clothes and name tags.

Simi Valley’s winning streak began in February, when the team won the Ventura County competition, beating Moorpark High School, their rival and last year’s national champ. Then at the state contest in March, the “acadeca” team took the top title, again just edging Moorpark.

Simi’s decathletes are Jennifer Tran, Cary Opel, Randy Xu, Kevin White, Mike Truex, Jeff Robertson, Steve Mihalovits, David Bartlett and Justin Underhill.

Ranked behind Texas and Wisconsin going into the national finals, Simi’s students are now hoping for a first-place trophy.

“We are the underdogs,” co-coach Ken Hibbitts said. “The kids know they have a lot to do to win the competition.”