Unlike competitions that are designated for specific topics, Academic Decathlon is an aggregate of multiple subjects divided among 10 events. Over the span of three days in the first week of March, the AcDec team, composed of nine students, competed in the state tournament that took place at Collin College and Lebanon Trail High School. For the 2025 AcDec state competition, student contestants brought back home several medals and a respectable pot of scholarship money.
Involving different rounds of preparation and competitions, AcDec resembles more of a marathon than a sprint, requiring students to unlock upcoming rounds within the competition over an extended period.
“We have two practice events during the first semester of school, where students participate in what we call the seven objective events,” AcDec head coach Kyle Wenokur said. “If [you] do well in the practice meets, [then you] go on to form your team, … and compete against other teams at the regional competition. That determines if you go to the state level, and that determines if you’re the one team that goes to nationals.”
Just advancing past the first stage of the AcDec competition is no small feat. It involves countless hours of studying, and students strive to perform their best at their first practice meet.
“The most intensive part of AcDec preparation comes from the objective events where you have seven resource guides in multiple topics like art, music, literature, economics, math, science, social science, and all that,” AcDec club president Ridah Farooqui, 11, said. “So, what my study process looks like is first reading the resource guide [that is] usually like a 100 to 150 page guide.”
Not only does AcDec come with various tests and quizzes throughout the competition, but it also presents new challenging events, including essays, interviews and speeches, when students advance to the state level.
”One of the hardest events in AcDec is probably interview [or] speech,” Sahana Narasimhan, 10, said. “[However], just being yourself, being confident, and not being afraid to show who you are really get you the highest scores. Sometimes, in normal situations, such as school, it’s hard to express who you are, but in this competition, no one’s really judging you.”
Although the preparation process may come with a huge amount of discipline and consistent hard work, its unique aspects provide more joy to students than pressure and stress.
“I think being in AcDec let me both fulfill my want for knowledge and being able to learn different things, while also being a part of a community that shares the same love as I do,” Farooqui said. “[Our team] is a shifting dynamic, because AcDec the other day is just like a friend group. So, when you add new people or change whoever’s in the group, [there are] changes in our overall structure and bring some better memories.”
As much as AcDec entails almost a full year of participation for the student contestants, it also allows them to form long-lasting friendships that motivate each other to improve together and create memorable moments over time.
“[My most memorable moment] is interacting with my friends before the competitions, and all of us [are] motivating each other to lock in and do our best,” Narasimhan said. “I’ve performed my speech in front of them so many times, and I feel like I’ve grown to know them as a person and they’ve grown to know me as a person too.”
On top of the precious community they’ve formed, AcDec offers students crucial lessons throughout their journey of both hardship and rewarding experiences.
“[One of my biggest lessons] was the fact that your success isn’t just defined by numbers,” Farooqui said. “Sometimes, it can be really easy to get bogged down by the numbers. At the end of the day, [however], you have to look at your improvement or how well you’re doing compared to other teams or your previous years.”
Commenting on all these ambitious students bringing their best effort, Wenokur further shares his genuine pride for those whose talents and dedication really shined through during this year’s state competition.
“One [thing I want to say] to the existing AcDec students is that … I’m so, so proud of them,” Wenokur said. “You can’t do good in AcDec unless you work really hard. Like, period. That’s just how it is. There is no secret formula, you have to figure out how to study.”
Although it can be easily assumed that AcDec is only for those who are talented at studying, the competition is open to each and every student who is ready to let their inner strength and ambition come to life.
“I think the most beautiful thing about AcDec is that by its structure and definition, it is for everyone,” Wenokur said. “It’s got a misconception [that] you must be a nerd, you must be really good at school. A lot of them are, but not all of them are sitting [and] getting perfect scores in their classes.”
“So, it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, [it] doesn’t matter what your GPA is. The message is, AcDec is for you,” Wenokur said.
