On Friday December 16th I had my very first Mock Trial competition of the 2022-2023 season.
After school my team and I all reported to the library after we got changed into formal and professional attire. In the hour we had to get ready, my whole team was panicking since we all still had to print all of our opening statements, closing arguments, cross examination, direct examination, objection sheets and many more. Waiting in the line for the printer was brutal, everyone was rushing to print their items and start practicing. Once my team got everything printed, my team had to figure out who was going to substitute for the two members who were going to be absent for the trials. My entire team was volunteering.
“I can do it”, “I can be a substitute”, everyone was volunteering. However in the end, my friend GG and I got chosen to substitute for the two members. I was going to substitute on the defense side and direct the defendant and cross a witness from the prosecution while still performing my own examinations.
For the first trial, my team was on the prosecution side, meaning we had to prove to the jury that the defendant of this case was guilty. The trial started with attorney Aarya delivering the prosecution opening statement and someone from the opposing team delivering the defense opening statement. As the trial proceeded, my team realized that this team was going to be an easy win considering that most of the people on the other team were first years, and also due to the fact that most of their examinations were not completely finished. When my character, Morgan Turnbow, was called I walked to the stand, a little more nervous than I had anticipated but I fought through it. My attorney and I performed our direct examination, my attorney asking me the questions we rehearsed and I answered them with confidence knowing the answers. As the direct ended, I waited on the podium for the cross examination that was going to be delivered from an attorney on the other side. The questions I was asked were easier than I had thought they would be, while the attorney asked questions my mind fumbled and attempted to answer the question in the best possible way so it benefited my team. The second trial announcement startled everyone who were still in the midst of eating and preparing at the same time. My team and I marched to the room with confidence ready for playing defense. The trial begun with me giving a direct examination to my witness Tatum Stevenson. The trial went a lot smoother than I imagined considering I was substituting for a teammate. You may have thought that the trial was the stressful part, but the stressful part has just begun. The awards. It was time for the awards, my teammate Josie and I squeezed each other’s hands as our coach called out “Our most outstanding attorney award goes to… EUREKA.” My jaw dropped in shock as I frantically started jumping up and down in excitement. Josie pushed me to the front as one of the judges placed the medal on me, with my face red in joy and smile as wide as the world my picture was taken. However, the most exciting part was when our coach announced “Placing first 2-0 in the trials we have TEAM SIX”. My team rushed to join me to the front, each one of us receiving a medal that claimed us as the first place team. Pictures were taken of us from parents, coaches and ourselves. The day started with stress but it ended as the best night of my life.