By Houston Tyree, Contributing Writer
Team chemistry, friendly attitudes and, of course, hard work are three attributes that have played major roles for the 2019-20 St. Bonaventure Mock Trial team in its most recent successes.
Now, as the team is gearing up for the Opening Round Championship Series, these attributes are more important than ever. In early February, the St. Bonaventure Mock Trial team competed in the American Mock Trial Association Regional Tournament hosted by Buffalo State College. After placing fourth in the tournament, they received a bid to attend ORCS in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The ORCS are AMTA’s second round of national tournaments. The tournament will take place from March 6-8 in the Lancaster County Courthouse.
As the competition nears, the team is confident in its abilities. Ten competitors will represent St. Bonaventure at ORCS this year. Many of the members on this year’s team were on the ORCS qualifying team in 2018.
Throughout the past two years, the competitors have grown closer as a group and learned about what makes a team successful.
“That’s why we were so successful,” said club president, Trevor North, “if you can trust the people next to you it’s life changing.”
The team has grown so close, in fact, it has even developed their own pre-trial rituals. “The whole team huddles up and everyone says a few words. When it’s my turn, I tell everyone to ‘Shake it out’ and remind them to practice fun law,” said North. He further explained, “Fun law is the belief that if someone messes up, to take a deep breath and relax.” Team leaders make sure to remind the team that everyone makes mistakes. However, it is from those mistakes that they can learn and grow as legal practitioners.
While the team has earned accolades from its participation in five trials this year, the members are most proud of the Spirit of AMTA award. This season, the team has won the award at every trial except for its own, where it was not possible for it to win. The Spirit of AMTA award recognizes the team that is the most outgoing and friendly throughout the course of the tournament.
Much of the team’s success is thanks to its preparation for trials. The team meets twice a week for two hours. As competition approaches, practice time bumps up to two hours daily. During practices, the team works on all aspects of the case. They write statements, prepare witnesses, examine evidence and, ultimately, ensure that each component fits into their overall case strategy. “While we do not know who we will be competing against yet, we are doing everything in our power to prepare and do our best at competition,” said club vice president, Hannah Merges.
tyreeht19@bonaventure.edu
