Since becoming Southern California's decathlon champion April 13, Ventura College's Teddy Elsenbaumer hasn't felt like his fellow competitors have paid him any more attention.

"I haven't noticed anything," said Elsenbaumer. "Decathlon is so close. It's quite an experience. All the athletes who are there are on the same boat."

As the Ventura College men's track and field team enters the Western State Conference finals today at Bakersfield College, Elsenbaumer's teammates can feel confident knowing their newest champion is a team player.

The Ventura High product, who will also compete in the 110-meter hurdles, the 4x400- meter relay and the javelin, picked up the 400-meter hurdles in the middle of a meet earlier this year.

"I told coach," said Elsenbaumer, "if you need me to run that one for some points, I'll try it."
Elsenbaumer is the No. 6 seed in his new event.

"I actually kind of like it," said Elsenbaumer. "It goes by really fast. There's a rhythm to it."

Ventura's Tirrel Brooks and Derrell Brooks are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the long jump.

"If we can all take care of our own thing and score the most points as possible, who knows," said Elsenbaumer. "We just have to put ourselves in the best position."

One year after a disqualification in the 400 meters kept him from the state meet, Ventura College sophomore

Teddy Elsenbaumer responded with personal bests in the long jump, shot put and discus to with the Southern California decathlon last week at Antelope Valley College.

"It was a little bit of redemption for him," said Ventura coach Tony Veney.

Ventura's first entrant in the event in 15 years, the Ventura High product scored 6,326 points, the third-highest total in school history, to win the competition and advance to the California Community College championships next month in Sacramento.

Teammate Tomek Czerwinski was Elsenbaumer's runner-up with 6,269 points.

The competition was not without drama. A timing malfunction during Elsenbaumer's 400-meter heat forced the same event in which Elsenbaumer was disqualified last year for running on the lane line to be rerun.

"It was just a testament to his toughness and his resolve," said Veney of Elsenbaumer. "The kid is very solid mentally... There was no quit in him."