DEMOPOLIS &045; Twenty members of the Demopolis High School DECA Club won events at the regional DECA Competitions held Friday at Troy University.

The club had 55 students attend the event and compete in the competitions in hopes of qualifying for the state DECA Competitions. State DECA President Mallory Snipes said the state’s South Regional winners will compete against the state’s North Regional winners in the sate competition.

Students participating in the competition had to research the intricacies of the individual area in which they would compete. Once they get to competition they are graded on their knowledge and poise with which they handle hypothetical situations in their field.

Participants in the events are given 10 minutes to prepare for their examination in the individual categories and 30 minutes in the team category. The written exam consists of a 100-question test they must complete.

Once at the state level the participants once again face an examination of their knowledge of their areas. The participants that round out the top three in each of the 39 categories are then sent to the international DECA competition in Orlando, Fla.

DECA is an organization meant to prepare high school and college students for careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. The organization has chapters across the United States and in South America and Europe.

Snipes said the winners from the regional competition will compete at the state level in Birmingham March 2 and 3.