Decathlon scholars ready for the challenge
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

LOVE TO LEARN- Students on the Moorpark Academic Decathlon Team work together to study the Civil War era. Front left, Chrissa Rutkai, Kari Geiger, Heidi Elneil, Aubrey Elneil. Middle row, Justine Levan, Anaamika Campean, Angela Chen. Back row, Larry Jones, Colin Calle, Neil Paik, Kris Sankaran, Paul Watanabe, Jonah Buck, Kelly Klimaszewski and John Grasel. Christie Calle is not pictured.

The 10 seniors and five juniors who make up this year's Moorpark High School Academic Decathlon team earned the top score in the nation during a regional scrimmage last month. And they're not letting up the pace as they prepare for the county competitions slated to take place early next year.

This year's theme is the Civil War, and four team members scored 6,000 points on seven tests, which hasn't happened in five years, said Larry Jones. He's coached the local decathletes for 14 years.

"They accomplished that with hard work. They're real committed, and they have a lot of talent," he said.

And when the demanding scrimmage was over, the students immediately returned to the testing room to continue their studies for the next rounds of competition early next year, Jones said.

"They were not asked to do it; they want to win," he said.

The kids are successful because they encourage and help each other all along, Jones said on Monday, as students quietly worked on a practice test about the economy of the Civil War era.

Previous Moorpark decathletes earned top honors in county, state and national competitions, so the new Moorpark team is working to meet high expectations.

"They have got the pressure of having the bull's-eye on their back, and they're handling it very well. They're shooting for No. 1 at the national level," Jones said.

Although Jones has considered retiring as coach of the team because it's so demanding, spending time with the students and seeing them succeed makes it all worthwhile.

During a funeral last Saturday, he received a call from his wife telling him that team member Angela Chen was accepted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Even during the sad occasion, Jones said he rejoiced about the news because the decathletes are like family members to him.

"This to me is the payoff," he said.

The news also pleased team captain Justine Levan, who's still waiting to hear from the colleges she's applied to. She joined the team last year because she was impressed that students from a small town like Moorpark could achieve so much.

"I always wanted to push myself to achieve this as well," she said.

The skills acquired during the intense decathlon study sessions come in handy in college, said Nathan Spinks, a former decathlete who graduated from Moorpark High in June.

Spinks, who attends UC Santa Barbara, was visiting the Moorpark decathletes to provide encouragement.

"This team has leaders who know what it takes; they're brilliant and have a lot of potential," he said.

All 15 students will compete on A or B teams in the county contests in January and February and, if they prevail at the local level, nine will go on to Sacramento in early March to vie for the state championship.

Five returning team members and several siblings of former participants are among this year's group.

In the room provided for the team by the school, walls were adorned with Civil Warera images, and two flags hung on the ceiling to represent the Confederate and the Union sides. Piles of paper were lying on the ground around the 15 desks positioned in a half-circle to face Jones, and cake was sitting on a table to provide sustenance during the marathon study sessions.

In preparation for the contest, the decathletes visited the Civil War reenactment hosted by the Rotary Club of Moorpark last month. Students talked to players who were able to supply details about important personalities of the time. They also spoke to a field surgeon to learn about infectious diseases.

"Rotary members were generous to treat students to the event," said Jones.

This year's theme inspired John Grasel to join the team.

"The Civil War era was an interesting period in history," he said. "So when I learned that this year's competition was going to be about the Civil War, I knew I wanted to join," he said.

In addition to redefining how people viewed the United States, the era saw many new inventions and industrialization began in earnest, Grasel said.

Although the Civil War doesn't rate high on her list of interests, Levan said, she's nevertheless benefiting from the history lessons. She especially enjoyed learning about infectious diseases because she hopes to be a doctor one day, she said.