Mock Trial Storms State

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Madison Chambers, Former Editor

In a sea of black blazers and white button downs, only one group of students represented Central Oregon at the State Mock Trial Competition. Those students were Summit’s Mock Trial team, who previously won first place in the Regional Mock Trial Competition.

Summit Mock Trial dedicated countless hours to preparing for the State level of competition.

“State was definitely a higher level [than Regionals] as people had put even more time into their [roles] and every team was very skilled,” said sophomore Kate Wilson, a new member of the Storm’s team.

The difficulty of State Competition and time commitment necessary also bolstered the bond among Mock Trial members.

“Preparing for these higher level competitions and knowing that other teams and our own members are going through the same thing is amazing, this whole ordeal has given [our team] a family type bond, especially since we have made new friends along the way,” said sophomore Sydney Griffith, second year member of the Storm’s team.

In addition to strengthening the team bond, State proved to be a beneficial learning experience for the team.

“When going to State, I really looked forward to the new challenges and people that we, as a team, would face and learn from. All of that helped to further our skills in the abundant amount of roles our members performed in the courthouse,” Wilson said.

Members of the Storm’s team learned about the aspects of a courthouse trial by performing the roles as an attorney, witness, clerk or bailiff .

“I like being a witness rather than an attorney, as you really get into your role, plus it’s a lot of fun. If you want a smaller role, there’s just a lot to choose from also,” Griffith said.

Even if a student doesn’t want to go into the field of law, participation in Mock Trial still provides a myriad of valuable skills.

“Mock Trial is a great community to be a part of, and it helps with public speaking, critical thinking skills, and organizational habits, and you get to make friends with some really cool people,” said sophomore Elinor Ocel, a new member of the Storm’s team.

Although the Storm’s Mock Trial team didn’t win State, they still had a great time competing in Portland, OR at the federal courthouse against the 18 other teams in attendance and highly encourage other students to join next season in the fall.

Though Summit Mock Trial didn’t bring home a trophy from Portland, they did bring home a stronger sense of team and mock trial experience.