Girl No. 1 at 1,111

There was a pause — a long pause, and no way of starting over.

Jamie Searles had already recited hundreds of numbers as part of Pi when, suddenly, her teacher lost her place and asked Jamie to stop. Was this the end?

Harbor Day School students in Corona del Mar Friday crowded into a conference room to watch Jamie recite as many numbers of Pi as she could remember, just as she did last year when she methodically recalled hundreds of Pi’s digits.

They call her a celebrity, say she’s famous. Teachers popped in Friday to ask, “When is Jamie going?” The date was significant. March 14, aka 3/14 — the first numbers of Pi, 3.14.

Now nothing else could be heard but Jamie, the 13-year-old seventh-grader, as she sat in front of 20 of her peers, teachers, newspaper reporters, parents and former champions continuing the rapid, soft mutter of numbers. And then: “stop.”

Her teacher Meggen Stockstill lost her place and needed help to check Jamie’s progress from the other teacher also checking Jamie’s count.

The break lasted maybe a minute, but it was long enough to disrupt someone who had just recited more than 600 digits of Pi.

When Stockstill found her place, she turned to Jamie and said OK — keep going.

Jamie launched right back into the steady, almost hypnotic cadence. When she was done, she grinned widely and lightly tapped her foot. She reached her goal: 1,111 digits of Pi.

Like the number Pi, Jamie’s unstoppable. Before the event there wasn’t a hint of anxiety. Jamie giggled with her friends, calm as could be.

Harbor Day School has celebrated Pi Day for six years. The school gives students the opportunity to recite as many digits as possible of the infinite number. If they get 50 or more, they get a free homework day.

The event started when Stockstill first offered the challenge to students and David Ensign, who was 12 years old at the time. He and some of his buddies accepted it.

They did so well, memorizing more than 100 digits, Stockstill decided to make it into a show for the rest of the school.

Ensign went on to be the first Pi Champion at Harbor Day with 226 digits recited. Underclassmen then took it upon themselves to top those who came before them.

“It’s just like a phenomenon,” Ensign, 18, said. “They all want to be Pi champion.”

Shortly after Ensign’s performance, Jamie’s sister gave it a try. She recorded a little more than 50 and bragged about it at home.

Jamie, in first grade then, liked the idea of the competition and got involved. The first time she got about 60. By third grade, she was doing more than 200. Last year, she did 801.

Until Friday, unofficially, no woman had ever topped 808 digits — set by Catherina Yochum a year ago, according to Pi-world-ranking-list.com.

“After two or three years, it became my thing,” Jamie said.

“It feels good,” said Jamie, who started practicing for this year’s event about a month ago. “Makes me feel like people are proud of me.”

She says she doesn’t necessarily see the numbers, but can remember them in groups and rows. Stockstill said Jamie can jump from one row to another, if prompted.

Not surprisingly, Jamie’s favorite subject is math, although Stockstill said she has numerous talents.

Next year is her last year at Harbor Day and her last Pi Day contest. She aims to go further next year. It could be the end of her Pi career, or not.

“Maybe try for the world record if I can,” she said.

For that, she’s got a long way to go — 67,890, to be exact.

PIECES OF PI

 Pi was discovered more than 4,000 years ago when people tried to discover the geometric relationship between a circle and a square.

  The world record for memorizing Pi is 67,890 digits by Chao Lu from China.

  The sequence of digits in Pi has passed all known tests for randomness.

  Kate Bush has a song entitled “Pi” on her most recent album.

  Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s 1998 film was entitled “Pi” and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.