Once again the Academic Dectahlon team is headed back to state  Jan. 24, where they will most likely move on to nationals for the 15th year in a row. This team of just 11 represents the entire school but as their peers know very little about the makeup of the Academic Decathlon. The Academic Decathlon places students into three different categories: Varsity (0-299 GPA), Scholastic (300-374 GPA), and Honors (3.75-4.00 GPA). From their students are tested on ten different events worth 1,000 points each for a grand total of 10,000 individual points, requiring a wide range of academic discipline.

 The subjects of the decathlon consist of art, science, social science, literature and language, math, music, and economics, as well as an interview, speech and essay. All of the core subjects are 50 questions each for 20 points each except for math, which is 35 questions for 28.6 points per question. The speech portion is split into two sections: prepared and impromptu. The prepared speech must be between 3.5-4.5 minutes and the impromptu speech will have you read three prompts and give a speech over one of them for 1.5-2.5 minutes. The interview ask multiple questions upfront and the 50 minute essay is derived from either the language & literature portion or the super quiz.

 All of this may seem overwhelming with all the demand of studying and competitiveness but these 11 students know how to endure the constant studying and pressure of going to state.

 “There’s a lot of pressure to win when you’re on a team that has been champions for 14 years. No one wants to be the one who doesn’t live up to that goal. This year it’s been extra stressful because the competition is the toughest it’s ever been,” senior Isaac Lanan said.

 The central theme for this year’s Academic Decathlon is ingenuity and innovation, which is basically the history of the art and music sections. The other theme is environmental movement, which applies to the language and literature, science and social science section. Math and Economics are unaffected by the themes. Because of the multitude of information to retain lots of studying is required.

 “I study 30 minutes a day and about 2-3 hours everyday the week before a meet,” senior Elizabeth Weesner said.

 To prepare for the Academic Decathlon all members of course take practice tests as well as memorize their speeches. Some members though, have their own ways to prepare themselves mentally for the lengthy exam.

 “On top of practicing my speech I have a system to get prepared. I start the morning with a good breakfast while I scroll through Michelle Obama’s twitter page and then I listen to Jay Z while I arrange my wardrobe,” junior Max Bortka said.

 The team isn’t just about individual work but teamwork and support.

 “The team meets on weekends at places like Panera to help anyone who’s having trouble and to boost morale,” Lanan said.

 Having a positive moral as a Academic Decathlon team is key to success past state into nationals. Only the top two scores from the Honors, Scholastics, and Varsity categories are counted for the team score, (maximum 60,000 points) so each member must mentally prepare and reassure one another with the excitement and stress of state this Saturday. The overall attitude of the team is making it to Nationals in Garden Grove, California.

 “Going to state means a chance to go to Nationals! As well as a chance to practice my public speaking skills,”  Weesner said.

 The individual and overall drive of the team to succeed past state to nationals never ceases to end.

 “For me going to state is about doing well and pushing myself. This year especially I’ve been working hard to break my personal records and perform better than I ever have before. But state is also about winning and that is what we’re going to do,” Lanan said.