UPrep’s varsity mock trial team is heading to state on the weekend of March 22. They placed second in districts on the weekend of Feb. 3. But the journey to winning districts was not without its hurdles.
Varsity mock trial captain senior Komathi Anand talks about what it was like when the team’s hard work paid off.
“I remember at the award ceremony when our placing was announced, and you realize we were gonna make it to state. We were all so excited. But our coaches were shocked,” Anand said.
The team had a rough start to the season. According to Anand, the difficulties started when more than 50 people signed up for mock trial in the fall. It was up to Mock Trial head coach Dawn Todd to organize the club.
“I put students into three teams so they could have a better experience,” Todd said, “so that I wouldn’t have to drop anybody who had expressed interest.”
These complications meant that Anand and Todd spent a good part of the early season trying to figure out what team to place everyone on. Because of this, the season started later than they had hoped. And with even fewer practices than usual, Todd could not meet with as many students to work on their scripts one-on-one.
“Students seem to be more and more involved in lots of activities, building resumes for college, I guess,” Todd said. “There are some schools that actually have a mock trial class, and we don’t. It’s just an after-school activity. But I can’t meet with anybody after school, because they’re always doing other sports. And so I’m limited to one practice a week.”
In the weeks leading to districts, the team members struggled with finalizing their scripts.
“We weren’t polishing [things], we were making risks,” Anand said. “We were trying new things. We were rewriting our arguments completely with the pressure of having to memorize everything and making sure we didn’t go off book.”
A late start and quick turnaround were not the only things the team fought against on the road to districts. While they had previously competed in Kitsap County, the team competed in Pierce County this year due to scheduling conflicts with some of the team.
“[Pierce County] is a pretty competitive district,” Anand said. “We were going up against SAAS and King’s and Holy Names, which are teams who usually go to state and do really well at state. They usually end up in the top five; these are people who are really high caliber and among the best at Washington State. So we were all really nervous.”
But even with nerves, the team had several nominations for best attorney and best witness. Anand explains what it was like right after leaving the courtroom, and the uncertainty regarding the placing.
“In the heat of the moment, we really aren’t really objective, we can’t really tell because we’re so focused on the little details of how did that direct [examination] go? Did I respond to the judge’s question? Did I make the objection correctly?”
But after all the stress, Anand is proud of her team.
“We were all working hard and using every moment,” Anand said. “I think it was simply a matter of perseverance that got us to where we placed.”
If you would like to hear more about where the team is headed next, or just want to learn more about mock trial, click this link.
