More brains than brawn were needed at this year's Catholic Schools Academic Decathlon held March 15 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena where more than 1,000 junior high students from 103 schools across the Los Angeles Archdiocese competed in an intellectual battle --- where the winners were indeed all who participated.

Placing first overall was the team from Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles, which garnered top points from the two collaborative efforts (the logic and super quizzes) as well as eight individual categories: Roman Catholic doctrine, English, Literature, Science, Mathematics, Current Events, Social Studies and Fine Arts.

The teams from St. Robert Bellarmine of Burbank and St. James of Redondo Beach earned second and third places in the overall portion of the Decathlon. Rounding out the top 10 were St. Martin of Tours, Los Angeles (fourth); Holy Family, Pasadena (fifth); Notre Dame Academy, West L.A. (sixth); St. Mel, Woodland Hills (seventh); St. Genevieve, Panorama City (eighth); St. Lawrence Martyr, Redondo Beach (ninth); and Our Lady of Grace, Encino (tenth).

St. Robert Bellarmine placed first in the Super Quiz, while St. James won the Logic Quiz. In the eight individual discipline categories, first place honors were earned by David Warren of Holy Family (Fine Arts); Jimmy Yao, St. Martin of Tours (Math); Robby Floyd, Cathedral Chapel (Current Events); Joshua De la Cruz, St. Francis X Cabrini (English); Monique Williams, St. Mel (Religion); Jade Padetta, St. Robert Bellarmine (Science); Kyra Krenitsky, St. Robert Bellarmine (Literature); and Cathrynn Vuong, St. James (Social Studies).

This is the third time Cathedral Chapel has brought home the winner's trophy. According to Principal Tina Kipp, the students started studying for the event last summer. Once school began, the students "studied every day. They took a 10-minute lunch and then went back to their classrooms to study. Fridays they were here from 3 to 5 p.m. It was pretty intense for these kids."

Kipp credits the teacher-coaches for pushing the kids to excel and not give up during those "down days. We just couldn't have done it without them; they were here every lunch hour. They were also so mindful about building confidence in these kids to be their best."

Testing academic know-how in a competitive sport-like setting, the decathlon has become a benchmark for many junior high students who are seeking admission to high schools. "Just able to say that you participated in the decathlon makes many high school admissions people sit up and take notice," said Kipp.

Still, the joy of competition is the main draw for the students, especially the Cathedral Chapel team who now "ramp up" their studies for the May 3 California Catholic School Decathlon in San Diego. "We'll be competing with nine other teams," said Kipp. "It will be structured pretty much like this one, only much, much smaller."

Founded in 1989 by Dr. Mark Ryan who taught at St. Aloysius School in South Central L.A., the decathlon began as a tiny competition involving a handful of schools from the greater Los Angeles area. It has since grown to become a statewide event involving Catholic junior high students from across the United States.

While the Cathedral Chapel team has experienced decathlon action many times, this year was the first for the team from San Gabriel Mission School.

"This was our year to learn," said Oblate Sister Sharon Dempsey, principal. "We also learned we need to send one person into the arena to [select seating arrangements] so we weren't spread out in three areas like we were this year!"

"I was so surprised how big it was, with all the students and tables," added seventh grader Anna Deperalta who called the event both nerve-wracking and fun. "I want to do it again next year."

Just having her team be part of the exciting day was worth it, said Sister Dempsey. "They got to witness how kids worked together to come to a solution," she said. "Plus, they get a chance to see what's going on with other schools and that opens them up to a bigger world."

For additional information, visit www.ajhd.org.