Decathletes Proud to Be Spammed

Sometimes luck comes in the strangest places.

For Simi Valley High School and its bid for a national championship in the Academic Decathlon, the new good luck charm is a can of Spam.

Wanting to wish their rivals well, Moorpark’s Academic Decathlon teammates have passed along their lucky can of Spam and any educational materials that might help Simi Valley’s team when it competes at the nationals in San Antonio next month.

Moorpark, last year’s national winner, was narrowly edged out this year by Simi Valley’s team in the state finals.

“We just came by to tell them they better win because they are representing California,” said Russell Glenn, 18, of the Moorpark High School Academic Decathlon team, during a get-together last week.

“Moorpark is just here sabotaging our efforts,” joked Simi Valley team member David Bartlett.

Moorpark received the Spam from El Camino Real High School in Los Angeles last year before Moorpark went on to the national contest.

The Simi Valley team members have a strong incentive to win the championship. Part of the deal is that if they lose, they have to pop open that can of Spam and eat up.

Faced with the idea of eating a 3-year-old container of canned meat, Simi team members are working diligently on their weak areas before the mid-April competition.

“We are not going to eat it, because we are going to win,” said Simi Valley’s co-coach Sally Hibbitts.