With regionals coming up, Academic Decathlon (ACDEC) held their second competition Saturday, Oct. 26 to prepare. The competition consists of ten events covering different subjects—math, science, literature, art, economics, and social science—that each have a shared theme, this year’s theme being climate change. Their next competition on Nov. 16 will decide who makes the team for regionals.

ACDEC is similar to sports in that they have different levels of competition they’re trying to meet: regionals, district, state, then national. The team spends hours practicing and refining their strategies.

“Overall, I think our preparation was solid,” Senior Aaralynn Ramirez said. “But there are always a few surprises that test how well you can think on your feet in a live competition setting.” 

The overall score at the end of the competition is a mix of both individual and team scoring. On the day of, students from the teams test in different subjects (math, literature, art, etc), write an essay, do both a prepared and impromptu speech, and do an interview. 

“We worked hard on all subjects,” Ramirez said. “There was definitely some anxiety about performing well, but that was balanced with excitement from all the work we’d put in.” 

The next performance decides who makes the team, so there is pressure on members to perform well.

“Before the competition, I felt a mix of nervousness and confidence,” Ramirez said. “I felt prepared, but there’s always that question in the back of your mind about whether it’ll be enough.”