Arlington School & Family Magazine March/April 2016 | Page 29

Sam Houston High School By Ruben Diaz - Texans Talk staff writer The Academic Decathlon team placed third in the Super Quiz Relay at its regional competition held at Lamar High School Jan. 29 and 30. Students were asked 36 questions over art, music, economics, social science, language, science and literature with only 10 seconds to answer each question. “I expected to basically lead my team to medals and state, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” junior Amy Lam, the honor team’s top scorer, said. Even though Lam’s dream of leading her team to medals and state did not come true, the regional meet has given her and her teammate, sophomore Sergio Medrano, some experience and expectations for future meets. “Whenever I was there, I was so nervous,” Medrano said. “But now that I’ve had somewhat of an experience, next year, I’ll be ready for the competition.” The team prepared long and hard to achieve their goal and according to Lam, went as far as practicing their speech every day and even meeting up once on a weekend. “My team and I studied hard and we practiced our speech and interview, but my team really helped me prepare for this competition,” Medrano said. However, there were some moments during preparation that the team felt the pressure. “Time was pressure,” Lam said. “I couldn’t manage to memorize my speeches two weeks before the competition, but I practiced just in time.” Team coach Patricia Watson said she felt very proud of her team’s performance at the meet. “I was thrilled and proud of my kids,” Watson said. “They did well.” † Ruben Diaz Jr. [email protected] March/April 2016 - Arlington School & Family 27