Team hopes for better (fundraising) luck next year

Despite their sweeping, record-setting victory that earned them their 12th straight state championship in March, members of the Alvirne High Academic Decathlon team recently ran into an opponent they weren’t quite able to overcome in their quest to go on to the national finals in Tennessee: Money.

Team coach Kathy Bouchard says the team is disappointed, but understanding. “This is a very tough time for a lot of people,” Bouchard said. “I really hesitated to even ask people this year.”

The Academic Decathlon is a 10-event scholastic competition that tests students in art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, math, music, science, social science and speech-making. En route to its smashing, 9,000-point victory in March, the Bronco decathletes won a remarkable 48 medals out of a possible 50, with each member winning at least one.

Bouchard estimates the base cost to make the trip to Memphis for the four-day competition at between $8,000 and $9,000 – not including meals, incidental expenses and various fees connected with the competition. “We had a long way to go and not much time to get there,” she said, adding that the entire travel itinerary had to be in place by March 20 – a week after the championship took place.

But as any successful athlete would do, the Broncos are looking ahead to next year, for two reasons – winning the state championship again and having enough funding in place to go to the nationals.

“We’re always accepting donations,” Bouchard said. “It takes money just to run the program. Plus, if we can start (raising funds) now, we’ll give ourselves a much better chance of getting to the finals next year.”

To contribute contact Bouchard at kbouchard@alvirnehs.org or 886-1260, ext. 2530, or send a check to NH Academic Decathlon/Alvirne High School to Alvirne High School, 200 Derry Road, Hudson, NH,03051.