The Comets mock trial team recently lost the semi finals to Owings Mills High School, 111-103. Four players who earned perfect scores and they were: Senior Ali Hamza, Junior Sean Konig, and Sophomores James Farmer and Zach Patrick.
Aside from their loss the good news about the team is that with a young group of players they were able to beat their expectations for the season.
“It’s all over now,” stated coach Ralph Doyle. “You just got to go home, and move on.”
The case that the Comets had to defend was about a student’s right to post her own opinion about her teacher on a “rate your teacher” website.
The Mock Trial Team had to get their members to work on the specific character lines to make their side the defense seem more convincing than the plaintiffs side. To convince the judge to rule in their favor the team definitely has to use lawyer terms as well as to remembering their lines for the case.
It’s like mixing acting with real life cases. This was not a difficult for the team, because everyone did their part to win the match.
Mock trial isn’t always about knowing lines; members also have to improvise. When a student is a lawyer and says “objection” he or she has to sometimes provide a reasons for stating the objection, something that is banned in improvisation.
The other time they can’t use their own lines when the opposite side, your opponents, ask the witness questions which the witnesses have to make up answers as the case goes on which can lead to the witness telling information that can hinder their team.
“You have to practice a lot to make sure you don’t give away your case to the other team, which Mr. Doyle teaches the witnesses to do,” sophomore Zach Patrick stated.
During a case against Towson, the Comets put on a show with theatrical demonstrations like drawing on a board that showed how to create a website and the whole details that go into it. They also showed how a teacher in the case touched the student which made the student reporting the case freaked out.
“I was freaked out when I was told to show how the teacher touched the student, but the hard part about that demonstration was trying not to laugh on stage, which is difficult to do in court,” sophomore Jessica Cheuvont commented.
When it comes to cross examination, though, the Comets are one of the best at making their opponents crack under pressure.
“Cross examination is good because when you ask a question that the witness gives too much information about you can elaborate on that,” added junior Netsanet Woldergerima.
This is true because on cross examination parts the witness has to answer the questions from memory, usually causing the witness to give up the win for their side.
The Comet Mock Trial team has definitely approved year after year, and we’ll just have to see how far their success takes them.