United States Academic Decathlon National Championships

Infobox generic
style0 = style="border: 1px solid #779FD5; float:right; font-size:90%; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; padding: 0.25em; width: 275px;"
color = #356AB3
name = United States Academic Decathlon|
img1 = Usadlogo fairuse.png width1 = 220px
cap1 = Official Logo|
lbl1 = Type:
row1 = Non-profit, public-benefit corporationcite web|title= United States Academic Decathlon : Frequently Asked Questions |publisher= United States Academic Decathlon |url= http://usad.org/faq.asp |accessdate= 2008-08-29 ]
style1 = style="vertical-align:top;"
lbl2 = Founded:
row2 = Orange County, California,
1968 as Academic Decathlon,
1981 as USAD
style2 = style="vertical-align:top;"
lbl3 = Founder:
row3 = Dr. Robert Peterson
style3 = style="vertical-align:top;"
lbl4 = Headquarters:
row4 = Council Bluffs, Iowa
style4 = style="vertical-align:top;"
lbl5 = Current champion:
row5 = Moorpark High School, California
style5 = style="vertical-align:top;"
lbl6 = Website:
row6 = [http://www.usad.org http://www.usad.org]
style6 = style="vertical-align:top;"

Established in 1981, the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) National Championship has the winning school from each competing state pitted against each other for an overall title.cite news |title= Scholarship is smart busines |page= 29 |work= Industry Week |date= 1982-04-19 ] Schools also compete based on school population and are divided into three divisions (I, II, and III). However, this separation is only limited to overall team score and overall individual score. Nine overall team medals are awarded: gold, silver and bronze for each division. Similarly, 27 overall individual medals are awarded: gold, silver and bronze for Honors, Scholastic and Varsity in each division. The rest of the medals—for example, gold in Art for Honors, or silver in Math for Varsity—are awarded to the top scoring persons regardless of division. [cite web|title=United States Academic Decathlon : 2008 Nationals Champs! |publisher=United States Academic Decathlon |url=http://usad.org/Competition/Winners.asp |accessdate=2008-10-08 ]

In April 1982, the first USAD Nationals was held at Loyola Marymount University in California where 17 states and the District of Columbia participated. However, Dr. Peterson's vision was bigger than just a national event. Inspired by the presence of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he sought to bring USAD to the international level. [cite journal|title=Move over Olympics; the thinkers are here |work=Industry Week |date=1981-06-15 |page=102 ] This goal was realized at the 1984 Nationals which drew teams from 32 states and four countries, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and South Korea.cite news |last= Singer |first= Amy |title= The Schools; Academia's Bruising Super Bowls |page= 12.19 |work= The New York Times |date= 1985-04-14 ] The inclusion of foreign countries has not been a regular occurrence however. The next occurrence of international participation was at the 1989 national competition when teams from Northern Ireland and Rio de Janeiro competed. [cite news|last=Foster |first=Catherine |title=Decathlon for Mental Gymnasts |work=Christian Science Monitor |date=1989-04-26 |page=13 (Ideas) ] Since then, a school from British Columbia, Canada is the only foreign competitor to have made a grab for the national title, having unsuccessfully done so in 2004. [cite news|last=Fausset |first=Richard |title= Los Angeles; El Camino Real Comes in 2nd in Super Quiz |work=L.A. Times |date= 2004-04-17 ] It is unclear why international competition has been so minimal. Since the first national event in 1982, there have been 26 national champions, all of which have come from three states: California, Texas and Wisconsin. The reigning national champion is Moorpark High School from Ventura, California, led by coach Larry Jones.cite news |last=Bakalis |first= Anna |title= National fame could await decathlon champions |work=Ventura County Star |date= 2008-05-06 |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/may/06/national-fame-could-await-decathlon-champions/ |accessdate=2008-09-30 ]

In 2006, the small school virtual competition was created for schools with 650 or fewer students.cite web |title= United States Academic Decathlon : Small Schools Competitions |publisher= United States Academic Decathlon |url= http://usad.org/Competition/Small_Schools.asp |accessdate= 2008-10-08] Two years later, the medium school virtual competition was added to accommodate schools with a student population between 650 and 1300.cite web |url=http://usad.org/Competition/Medium_Schools.asp |title=United States Academic Decathlon : Medium Schools Competitions |accessdate=2008-06-20 |publisher=United States Academic Decathlon] These two separate contests are held via the internet and as such, the Interview and Speech events are excluded. The remaining eight tests are completed on the computer and results are submitted electronically to USAD for scoring. Because only the seven multiple choice tests and Essay are used, team scores are out of 48,000 points instead of 60,000. Despite it being a virtual competition, winning schools are awarded trophies and medals for their efforts. [cite news|last=Vance |first=Christina |title=University High wins U.S. contest: Fresno students take Academic Decathlon in small schools category. |work=Fresno Bee |date=2007-05-05 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30694557_ITM |accessdate=2008-07-23] According to USAD, the goal of the small and medium school competitions is to "enhance learning, growth and recognition" for more schools participating in Academic Decathlon.

National winners

References

External links

* [http://www.usad.org/ USAD] - The official website of United States Academic Decathlon
* [http://www.acadectalk.com/ Message board] - Academic Decathlon related message board
* [http://acadecscores.gilslotd.com/wiki/Main_Page ADSIC - "AcaDec Scores and Information Center"] - A compilation of Regional, State, and Nationals competition scores