MINNESOTA ACADEMIC DECATHLON

Team Spirit and Hard Work Key to West’s Success
By Elyse Anderson

Team spirit and cohesiveness allowed Mankato West’s Academic Decathlon team to exceed their expectations and achieve amazing goals while they represented Minnesota at the United States Academic Decathlon® (USAD) National Competition in California April 30 – May 3. Team members Travis Swenson (Honors Division) and Amie Durenberger (Scholastic Division) received perfect scores and gold medals for their speeches and were selected to present in the speech showcase. From more than 350 students, only 12 are selected for the speech showcase, four students from each division.

Swenson’s speech was on the similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, speculating on how history repeats itself and possible reincarnation. Durenberger’s speech was on Santa Claus and childhood lies. Swenson and Durenberger both said they were very nervous to perform their speeches for over 800 people.

National competition tested students on economics, mathematics, language and literature, science, art, music, speech, interview and Super Quiz™. The team went head-to-head against 40 other teams from around the country, and after two days of intense competition, the West team placed 9th in their division and 24th overall.

“The students have been incredibly self-motivated throughout the year. The group really stuck together and was very supportive of each other,” said coach Lisa Moldaschel, who felt this year would be dedicated to rebuilding after loosing six seniors last year.

After the state tournament, West set goals for themselves. Their first goal was to beat their state score, which they did by over 500 points. Their second goal was to place better than the year before, which they did by two places. And their third goal was to medal higher in speech, which they did with two gold medals, surpassing one bronze medal in 2007.

To prepare for nationals, West maintained their usual practice schedule, two hours, three times a week and focused on preparing for speech and interview. In addition to the team practices, students also studied at home. Swenson said he studied about 30 minutes a day independently. Team members spent time reading through the materials, creating their own study guides, taking practice tests, and using flashcards to make sure they were at the top of their game.

Swenson, who will graduate this year, had the personal goal of reaching 7,500 points by his senior year. He was the high scorer for his team at nationals with an outstanding score of 7,437. Although Swenson was merely points away from his goal, he was very proud of his accomplishment. Academic Decathlon™ is not just a high school extracurricular activity; the program provides many benefits that students can use even after high school. Swenson describes AD as a “well-rounded experience” that has given him some good study habits he can use in his college career as well as a wealth of knowledge from four years in the program. The speech and interview components also prepare students for public speaking and future job interviews.

“We are very proud of this young team for doing so well. We hope to continue the proud tradition of success in Academic Decathlon,” said Moldaschel.

So What Was It Like To Go To Nationals?
The West team arrived in California Tuesday, April 29, and after a day of travel, they took time to relax. On Wednesday, the team headed to Newport Beach for some much-needed fun in the sun, and some laser tag, after a season of hard work. That evening USAD put on an ice cream social to kick-off the competition and give teams a chance to mingle and meet other decathletes. All portions of the national event took place in the hotel where the teams stayed.

At 8 a.m. on Thursday, the competition was on! After four 30-minute tests, the teams broke for lunch and prepared for their speech and interview. The speech and interview portions took place from 1–5 p.m. in the hotel. Friday began at 8 a.m. with more tests, Super Quiz™ and Oral Relay. Each team was given a table where their coaches waited with snacks, refreshments and encouraging words for their team. The 12 students who were selected to present their speeches did so at the evening’s Speech Showcase.

The competition closed with the awards banquet, which began with the parade of flags. One person from each team carried the flag of their state and marched it proudly into the banquet. At the banquet, students enjoyed a nice meal and time together, followed by the presentation of awards. Each student and coach received a medal of participation and each team received a plaque. Students who participated in the speech showcase also received a trophy.

What’s In Store For Next Year?
This year, West has four seniors graduating, two of which are captains, and next year they will have a new coach, Nicole Berkland. Their goal for the 2008-2009 season is to keep the same great team spirit and to keep improving. Should the team be fortunate to go to nationals next year, Berkland said, “We’d love to see three medals! Our goal is to keep improving and doing our best.”

The theme for the 2008-2009 season is “Latin America.” Students are able to pick up study guides at the end of the summer, and coaching and practices will begin in September. The coach’s main role in practices is to provide organization by setting the reading schedules and giving practice tests. The team captains take the lead in the team discussions of the materials. Students are responsible for learning the curriculum outside of class and practice.

Academic Decathlon™ is open to all students at all grade-levels. Check out Academic Decathlon™ in your school or visit www.usad.org or www.mnscsc.org for more information.