Simi Shines in Super Quiz as Academic Decathlon Ends

In a dramatic finale to the 19th annual national Academic Decathlon, Simi Valley High School students won the Super Quiz on Friday--beating 37 teams from around the nation and boosting their chances of winning the overall contest.

Simi Valley’s nine decathletes answered 42 out of 45 questions correctly in the game-show-style event held before a boisterous crowd packed into an auditorium at Trinity College.

Students from rival James E. Taylor High School in Texas got 39 right, while team members from Catholic Memorial High in Wisconsin got 38.

“It doesn’t seem real,” said Mike Truex, 18. “We were out there under the bright lights with all the people watching. It was very intense.”

Though the Super Quiz draws large crowds, the results represent less than 5% of the total score. During the two-day competition, students also delivered prepared and impromptu speeches, gave interviews, wrote essays and took tests in math, science, social science, economics, art, music and literature.

The decathletes have a day off today but will gather Sunday at the San Antonio Convention Center for the crowning of the new national champion.

After months of studying, laughing and crying, Simi’s “acadeca” team members hugged, gave each other high-fives and breathed sighs of relief after Friday’s competition.

“We don’t have to take any more tests,” said Cary Opel, 18. “I’m jazzed about that.”

In addition to Truex and Opel, Simi Valley’s team members are Jennifer Tran, 17; Randy Xu, 17; Kevin White, 17; Jeff Robertson, 18; Steve Mihalovits, 17; David Bartlett, 18; and Justin Underhill, 17. The coaches are Ken and Sally Hibbitts.

Tensions ran high during the question-and-answer relay, where team members were called to the stage one by one. With the spotlight shining and the audience watching every move, each student answered five multiple-choice questions within seven seconds each.

White said he was shaking. Mihalovits said he just blocked out everything. Underhill said he felt like throwing up.

“It was the worst experience of my life,” Underhill told his father moments after the contest. He answered all five of his questions correctly.

“Yeah, but you aced it,” his father told him. “Now we have to hold our breaths until Sunday.”

The theme of this year’s contest was “The Sustainable Earth.” During the Super Quiz, students answered questions about deforestation, population and conservation.

Students were asked to identify the second-greatest threat to biodiversity. The answer was bioinvasions, which occur when a nonnative species invades an ecosystem with damaging consequences.

Others wrestled with this: “The acidification of the environment by industrial pollutants is a global problem due to--.” The answer: use of smokestacks.

Parents, friends and siblings of the Simi Valley team packed the auditorium, wearing matching maroon shirts that read “California’s Gold Minds -- Acadeca 2000 State Champions.” With each correct answer, they clapped, cheered and snapped photos.

“This is such an emotional event,” said Douglas Truex, as he videotaped his son Mike. “But the stress doesn’t seem to bother them. Some kids are good at sports. These kids are good at this. Studying is second nature to them.”

And they have been studying hard for almost a year. They have read novels, listened to jazz music, practiced linear equations and memorized facts about microeconomics.

Vu Tran said he is glad the pressure is finally off his daughter, Jennifer.

“This is something she will always remember, and something she can be proud of and tell her children,” he said.

Simi Valley Principal Dennis Rast said he was proud of his students, who won the county and state competitions to earn the right to come to Texas and represent California in the national finals.

“Words don’t describe what kids can do when they set their minds to it and have the support of coaches and parents,” he said.