Taking charge of the courtroom a trial at a time
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February 17, 2010 • written by Mary Kate Vatterott
Filed under Features, Features
“Wussy sport. Wussy sport. Wussy sport.” Each member of Mock Trial chanted these words, before every court case. The tradition started when the former mock trial coach and at the time, head football coach called Mock Trial a “wussy sport,” clearly not understanding the passion and determination of club members.
Mock Trial is a competitive, extra curricular activity in which approximately 75 Missouri schools participate. Students prepare to take different roles as attorneys or witnesses, learning proper techniques of examination and legal objection. After long practices students perform in a real court rooms, such as ones in Clayton, and perform in front of professional lawyers and judges. Peter Stragand, former lawyer and current social studies teacher, is the Mock Trial coach.
“Mock Trial combines two things I love: law and working with kids. As an educator, I love to see such dedicated kids,” Stragand said. “This is a great out-of-school experience.”
In a windowless room, cell phones are off, time keepers are in place and everyone begins to take his or her seat. Silence fills the room as the words “All rise” are heard and the judge enters. She looks the crowd over, making the witnesses swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and then she listens to the opening statements. As intensity fills the air, the examination begins. Every word is analyzed, facial expressions are second guessed and questions are asked again in hopes of only catching the witness off guard. With a stutter in his voice and sweat trickling down his forehead, the witness tries to speak, but fear strikes his face. Pleasantly surprised, the cross examiner sits back down, letting the rest of the hearing continue.
With high school football teams going to state and the swim team reaching sectionals, the same excitement occurs for Mock Trial. The trial begins, this is their playoff game.
“The atmosphere, for me, is relaxed because it’s self-directed,” Josh Dayan, senior, said. “I began as a freshman, and it was fun from the start because the upperclassmen who were on Mock Trial helped make it less intimidating.”
This popular club is encouraged for anyone with a good work ethic, and is willing to put some long hours in the practices.
“I would recommend anyone to go for it. Speaking in front of others is a good skill to have especially when dealing with unexpected variables during the cross examination,” Dayan said. “You never know what to expect.”
Finally after the trial is over, both teams’ fate lies in the hands of the judges. After deliberating, the judges praise the students for giving appropriate eye contact, or they correct the students when they read strictly off note cards. With constructive criticism taken, the students can only wait and practice until their next trial.
“The best part of Mock Trial is getting to know how much time and effort it takes to become a lawyer,” Jay Frick, junior and first year member, said. “The hardest part is the memorization of my parts and as well as just knowing what to say to the opposing counsel.”
Not only does this club have an impact upon a student’s life, but it also gets them thinking about their future.
“I want to be a lawyer when I grow up,” Zach Brand, junior, said. “The best part of Mock Trial is when I outsmart my opponent with objections. It makes all of my preparation and hard work go to good use.”
These well prepared students, having practiced around three hours after school and three to four hours on the weekends, officially take charge in the courtroom, impressing the judges proving that this is no “wussy sport.”
“For anyone to call Mock Trial a “wussy sport”, clearly shows that they do not know anything about it,” Brand said. “They don’t understand the hard work we put behind it to make a good outcome.”
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