The trial team has proved themselves to be among the most talented arguers in the nation. The A-Team made it to the Opening Round Championship Series Tournament in Newport Beach, Calif. on March 9, after a series of invitational and regional tournaments.This is the first time since the team was founded in 2009 that it has made it that far in the mock trial process. The team won 2 and lost 6 of the 8 trials they argued.
The Opening Rounds were hosted by University of California, Irvine and were attended by universities from across the nation such as the University of California, Berkeley, Arizona State University, and Emory University in Georgia. DU Mock Trial competed against four other college teams and presented two plaintiff arguments and two defense arguments. The teams debated the case of Allen v. Neptune, in which the plaintiff side was suing the scuba diving company, Neptune because someone had died in a scuba diving accident. Ultimately, the team did not advance, but they were happy to make it so far in such a difficult competition.
DU’s mock trial team was founded in 2009 by Alita King, business major from Littleton who graduated last quarter, and Joseph Zhang, 4th year business major from Colorado Springs. The team has since grown to contain 13 members, including a 7 person A-Team and a 6 person B-Team.
Mock Trial is a competitive imitation of a trial in which teams prepare arguments for both sides of a legal case and must defend their appointed side against another team. The American Mock Trial Association, or AMTA, administrates Mock Trial at a collegiate level. Over 300 colleges and universities in the U.S. participate in mock trial.
In a mock trial tournament, each team is given the same legal case and must prepare both plaintiff and defense arguments. Before a tournament, the team does not know which side they will be arguing, or against which team.
According to tournament coordinator Garrett Macdonald, a junior history major from Denver, Mock trial is an exercise in improvisation, critical thinking and public speaking.
DU Mock Trial President Emily Wheeler, a second year double major in Spanish and Psychology from Denver, is thrilled with the team’s success.
According to Wheeler, the Mock Trial program at DU was tiny and not widely recognized by the DU community when she started. Wheeler became president in hopes of growing the team and establishing a real presence at DU.
“I wanted to do something different,” she said. ”I wanted to get coaches who could help us develop and get our name out there.”
Wheeler emphasizes the strong kinship that the team members share, and expressed that this is one of her favorite aspects of participating in mock trial.
“Your mock trial team becomes your family. It really gives you a home within the larger DU community,” said Wheeler.
Macdonald is fondly referred to as ‘Sparkles and Rainbows’ by his teammates because his role as tournament coordinator is fairly ambiguous and the team didn’t know what else to call it.
Macdonald has participated in mock trial since high school, and still coaches the Lakewood High School mock trial team.
“I can’t imagine not doing mock trial,” he said. “It is the most intellectually stimulating public speaking event, and it’s extremely fulfilling.”
Macdonald emphasizes the level of dedication it takes to participate in Mock Trial. According to Macdonald, the team meets three to four times weekly. He compares it to taking a graduate level class on top of his regular coursework.
“Mock trial is a big time commitment, but an incredible opportunity,” Macdonald said. “No matter what field you want to go into, mock trial will help you. It runs the gamut of disciplines, and is extremely beneficial and rewarding.”
According to a status on the team’s facebook page, although the Mock Trial team did not advance to the national tournament this year, they were honored to compete in such a prestigious competition. They will work toward taking the program to even higher places in upcoming years.
For more information on DU Mock Trial visit www.facebook.com/DuMockTrial.
