The Elizabethtown College Mock Trial Club participated in an invitational competition at Penn State University during the weekend of Oct. 26. The team went 5-3, coming ninth out of 24 competitors; Elizabethtown was also awarded the Spirit of the AMTA (American Mock Trial Association) Award, which is presented to the team that best exemplifies the ideals of honesty, civility and fair play.
The club is currently separated into two teams, with eight people on a team. The team that competed at Penn State University this weekend included sophomores Zoey Lee and Samuel Weaver, seniors Maiza Rahman and Samantha Miller, juniors Brett Williams and Zeke Zimmer, and first-year Adam Dixon.
The competition was made up of four rounds, which were evaluated by two judges. This means that while they only participated in four rounds, they had the chance of winning or losing up to eight ballots. The team competed against Drexel University, Rutgers University, Lafayette College and American University. While the club only participates in two invitationals this semester, they have additional scrimmages scheduled for before Thanksgiving against Towson University and Dickinson College. In February, the team will compete in regionals, which is considered the first round for the National Tournament. Nationals will be hosted by the University of Central Florida during the weekend of April 11.
Students can hold different positions on the team, such as the legal office for the defense or prosecution, and witness positions for either side as well. The team has class on Monday nights that typically runs one to two hours. They meet Thursdays and will come together additional nights if they need to practice for an upcoming competition or scrimmage. A typical practice consists of one students practicing direct examination of another, while the remaining team members watch and take notes. After that, they all discuss what worked, what did not and what can be improved for next time.
Paula Knudsen, the mock trial coach, and Dr. Kyle Kopko, the director of the pre-law program, both mentor the team throughout the year. When asked what her favorite part of the mock trial process is, Knudsen said, “I enjoy watching the students grow and learn. Standing up in front of a lot of people and trying a new skill is challenging, but when the students conquer a difficult piece, such as an opening statement, it is so rewarding to see their confidence grow.”
“I also enjoy watching the students work in teams and collaboratively work on solving the problems posed by the case,” said Knudsen. Dr. Kopko began his work with the mock trial program when he joined Etown in 2010. He is an Etown alumnus and was a member of the team throughout his four years, from 2002-2005. He served as a captain during 2004 and 2005, along with helping to judge competitions as an Ohio State graduate student.
Current captain of one of the mock trial teams Samuel Weaver competed in mock trials in high school as well as his first year at Etown. He enjoys mock trial’s argumentative and competitive characteristics: “I have always had a passion for delivering strong arguments. Mock trial, like our legal system, is adversarial in nature and built on developing and delivering a coherent and powerful case,” Weaver said. After college, he plans on either going to law school or graduate school for history. He speaks very highly of his experiences in mock trial, noting that it has improved his public speaking ability to articulate arguments and skills.
The team of eight that did not compete in the Penn State competition will be competing at the University of Pennsylvania this coming weekend, on Saturday, Nov. 9.
