They bow to this legend of the Academic Decathlon
Daniel Berdichevsky is an Academic Decathlon star and he is 35.
As he strode into the hotel ballroom in Albuquerque, scores of high school students swarmed the man they know as DemiDec Dan, a legend in their world.
The students, competing for the national decathlon title, clamored for the chance to shake his hand. They posed for pictures with him. They reached out for one of the colorful wool finger puppets he has turned into the unofficial mascot of the academic competition.
"I'm meeting DemiDec Dan!" one boy exclaimed.
"Look at your adoring fans!" said another.
Berdichevsky once set a record for the highest individual score in the grueling, 10-subject competition. But that