After months of preparation, competition, and legions of stress, the OP Mock Trial season has come to a close. Like years past, I’m here to give everyone an update on the state of affairs surrounding Oratory Prep’s favorite club.
Unfortunately, we were once again unable to secure a win, and were defeated in the County finals. This defeat was extremely soul-crushing, and I speak on behalf of the team when I say we were thoroughly disappointed.
Our Prosecution team, led by none other than myself and Zachery Duignan, truly gave the best result of months and months of hard work. We represented our school proudly, and fought until the end. Our witnesses John Kennedy, Noah Tockarshewsky and Jack Fagan really outdid themselves, and I’d like to personally thank them for all their hard work since October.
Take comfort, dear reader, in knowing that we gave it our all. I performed what I believed to be the best rendition of my cross-examination and closing I could possibly give. Zach was on point with objections and stood his ground valiantly on cross examination. The disappointing factor of subjective competition, however, is that no matter how hard you prepare, the outcome of the trial is always uncertain.
While there is always next year, the Mock Trial team is losing a considerable amount of its team, that being the seniors. Seeing as they’ve been here since I’ve joined the team, this loss is incredibly devastating for me. Over the years, I’ve easily spent hundreds of hours around these guys. Whether it was pointless banter and wasted time, or telling each other the same examination we all know too well, there’s no one else I would’ve rather done this activity with.
The funny thing about Mock Trial is that it’s technically a club. Yet we practice every day for hours on end. We constantly work on our material at home. We compete, just like every other team. We’re at school after everyone leaves. The bonds you form with your teammates are truly unique and irreplaceable.
If I were to write each of these guys a unique message, we’d be here all day. I, however, have all day. After all the years, it’s only fair I dedicate this time to appreciating each individual member of the team that’s departing, starting with the captains.
Zach, you took on a plethora of responsibilities this year. Alongside being elected as captain, you took on the role of attorney, a completely new experience. You did not disappoint. The countless hours of work you put into this activity is more than I ever expected you to do. Your ability to mediate and handle every conflict made you the perfect captain that the team needed. As my co-counsel, we genuinely just had fun. I don’t think I’ll ever laugh as much as I did at the counsel table again. Your help with objections, alongside your professionalism and concise responses, won us many a trial. Because of you, I now know that gaslighting is apparently a valid technique. Also, you had an uncanny ability to play Rust and Ark at the same time, which I’ve never seen before and is thoroughly impressive. Jokes aside, I’m gonna miss you a ton. From my star witness to my co-counsel, having you as both a teammate and a mentor was truly a blessing.
Marco, you finished your Mock Trial career strong. I believe you’re the only lifer on the team that’s leaving this year. To spend your four years at Oratory dedicated in service to our best program is nothing to scoff at. Our defense team last year was nothing short of amazing, and you gave it your all this year on defense as well. No matter how terrible my material was throughout the year, I knew I could come to you for advice that wouldn’t annihilate my self-esteem. I think that speaks a lot to your character. You never looked down on others, no matter how much they probably deserved it. Your kindness will get you incredibly far, and I hope you never lose that.
The other captain was myself (shameless plug) so obviously no comments. To the other seniors, however, I still have a lot to say.
Noah, while you weren’t formally a captain, you acted like one. I’m sure everyone can agree when I say that we all considered you our unofficial captain, too. Your leadership pushed everyone to work harder, myself included. This leadership was also reflected through your own work. I need to give you a special thank you for help on my closing. Nobody, and I mean nobody helped me as much as you did. The countless hours you spent hearing the same thing over and over again. I could hardly get through the first half, and you never ripped on me for it. Your help is what resulted in what I believe to be the best closing I ever performed. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your help. You also deserve applause for being the first person to talk to me after the loss. I won’t forget that gesture. Thank you man, I’ll miss you a lot. “Seemingly not.”
Kieran, you were definitely the kindest member of the team. Also my worst nightmare on cross. No, like seriously. The reason I never wanted to cross was because I genuinely was afraid of your responses. The reason my cross examination was so good was simply because I had to prepare against such a thorough and amazing witness. You also helped a ton with my closing, and never hesitated to hop on call and help me out. It goes without saying that you were one of, if not our best witness on the team this year. You obviously enjoyed being a witness, and I’m really sorry you couldn’t perform more. Gonna miss you a lot next year, and I hope you come back to help the next generation.
James, I don’t really know if we spent more time on call doing mock stuff, or playing Hearts of Iron. Those Hearts of Iron skills must’ve translated to Blaze of Honor, seeing as you apparently were sick at planning raids. It is incredibly admirable that you took up the role of the defendant, which is definitely the most pivotal part of the defense’s case. I’d say you were dank, but I value my digital footprint. Gonna miss the comedic relief a ton next year. Please come back and visit as soon as possible!
Bruno, I genuinely never saw you get directed during practice. In fact, the only time I heard the Georgie Hart direct was when I was subbing for you during our Mendham scrimmage. When I finally saw your performance at counties, you easily had the best character. You were the new “funniest” witness. In all seriousness, you did amazing. I’ll never forget our Jean Cote direct, and how you helped me over the years. I’m also grateful you introduced me to Oasis, great music. I’ll always remember you for being a genuine guy. You somehow always knew what to say, and when to say it. You treated me with a lot of respect, and I’ll always thank you for that. What you told me after we lost meant a lot to me, and I’ll never, ever, forget those words, as long as I live.
I’d also like to thank Mr. Leonard. He took up a huge role this year as the new coach, and he fulfilled it. Through his leadership and kindness, the team actually made it farther than last year. His cooperation and encouragement helped us thoroughly.
Long article, I know. I think, however, it’s important to recognize each and every member that’s leaving this year. They spent countless hours with me during the most formative years of my life, as I progressed through my high school years. They’ve become some of the most dependable people I know, and have helped me at every turn, even in things not related to Mock Trial.
While the season is going, it’s easy to wish it was over. Lots of grueling work, on top of other responsibilities you may have, it stacks up. It becomes a lot. When it actually ends, however, you miss it. This source of discomfort, this huge time sink, you miss it. It’s the strangest thing, and after three years, I still haven’t figured it out (it’s probably Stockholm Syndrome). I know the whole team feels the same.
If you’re reading this and are AT ALL interested in Mock Trial, join the team. We’re gonna need a lot of new guys next year, so all the roles will be up for grabs.
It was a really, really good year, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.
