For Those Who Just Mocked, We Salute You

Friday I had the distinct pleasure of watching Park’s Mock Trial compete and win the State Finals. The trial was held in Annapolis and Judge Joseph Murphy, Maryland’s Chief Judge of the Court of Special Appeals, presided over the case. I watched via webstream which was an up and down experience, but a bit more about that later.

Park’s team has enjoyed great success under Coach Tina Forbush, assisted this year by Tony Asdourian. In eleven years, Park has won two championships and has had two second-place finishes. As you watch the competition unfold, you realize that the preparation must be intense, and I imagine our coaches facilitated this task masterfully. The first thing I noticed as I started watching was how quickly you forget that these are high school students competing in a fictional situation. Both teams delivered a professional performance.

Our role at the championship match was the plaintiff. Our three attorneys, Eli Block, Tanika Lynch, and Daniel Stern were nothing short of brilliant. I can say without reservation that based on our championship record, our defense team must be just as able.

The Park attorneys questioned their witnesses with precision and grace—two qualities that many professional litigators would benefit from having. They were poised and their manners were impeccable. You never lost sight of the fact that this was a competition, but one of the most heartwarming moments came when the judges retired to reach a verdict and both teams congratulated each other in what seemed to be a most genuine manner.

Judge Murphy asked the attorneys some tough questions, and on top of that they had to examine ‘hostile’ witnesses, which is never easy, but these kids never flinched. There were a few moments for each team where they had to back track, rethink their approach and proceed, and our team rose to the occasion each time. I highly recommend that you check this out at http://www.courts.state.md.us/education/mocktrial.html (Watch the timer on the video; the trial begins just after 10:00.)

So Park brings home a state championship. You won’t read about it in The Sun—although you can read about an awful lot of lacrosse, softball, and baseball games that happened on Friday. Local schools were even webstreaming lacrosse games on that afternoon. I love high school sports and think they’re great, but the Park kids were doing something equally, if not more, spectacular. This was truly a battle of wits and guile. I watched on the edge of my seat, and almost jumped out of it at one point during the closing argument that I believed sealed the victory. I have no idea if any of these competitors will go on to be practicing attorneys, but I do know that using their analytical skills, powers of inquiry and oration, command and poise will serve them well for a lifetime.

Way to go Park Mock Trial Team---You Rock!