By Sofia D.-P. and Manola R., Reporters, The Puma Press

UPrep’s Varsity Mock Trial Team headed 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 Komathi A., 12th grade, 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,” Komathi said.

The team had a rough start to the season. According to Komathi, 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,” Dawn said, “so that I wouldn’t have to drop anybody who had expressed interest.”

These complications meant that Komathi and Dawn 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, Dawn 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,” Dawn 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,” Komathi 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,” Komathi 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. Komathi 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, Komathi is proud of her team.

“We were all working hard and using every moment,” Komathi said. “I think it was simply a matter of perseverance that got us to where we placed.”

*The UPrep Varsity Mock Trial Team placed 10th out of 24 teams at the state competition.

A Q&A WITH THE PUMA PRESS REPORTERS SOFIA D.-G. AND MANOLA R., 10TH GRADE

How did you come up with this story idea?

Sofia: We have a person who is a part of Mock Trial on our staff, Katy E. She proposed the idea, saying that Mock Trial is going to districts this weekend and if they [take first or second place] they go to state. If [that happens], we should cover that. They took second.

 

What surprised you while working on this article?

Manola: I’ve never gotten a behind-the-scenes look at Mock Trial and I was surprised by the amount of work the coaches and the students need to do. They put their best foot forward during the competition and their dedication shows.

Sofia: It made me happy to see the passion that Komathi, the captain, and Coach Dawn have for the team and the sport, and for the faith they have that the team will succeed because they put in all the hard work.

What did you learn while working on this piece?

Manola: I learned how much the coach and captain have to do to prepare and the difficult logistics of scheduling practice where everyone on the team could show up. I gained respect for them.

Sofia: It was interesting to see everything that goes into making Mock Trial work.

How long have you been working on The Puma Press?

Manola: I started this semester.

Sofia: This is my second semester.

What skills are you learning while working on The Puma Press?

Manola: Talking to people and listening to people’s stories. It kind of forces you to talk to people. You gain this skill of being able to initiate professional conservations with people. Also, I am learning journalistic writing. I didn’t know what goes into making an article and a newspaper.

Sofia: I’ve seen all my skills grow since the beginning of the school year. I’m a lot more comfortable with the journalistic writing style now. I recently used a journalism-style lede for the hook of my history paper. It’s good to have this variety of writing styles because they all influence each other.

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