On January 5th, the JCHS Mock Trial Team took on a scrimmage at Piscataway High School. As the cofounder of the club, it was to my delight that my team did so well at this first scrimmage. We were able to compete against other schools who also have a Mock Trial Team such as South Brunswick and Piscataway. Since I helped open up this club at the start of this year, it was so great to be able to gage what a real Mock Trial tournament would be like and I felt that the team really held our own when given critiques after the scrimmage. It was truly fascinating to perform at the scrimmage on the case of Avery Mansion v. Captain Kidds’ Pier which follows a rollercoaster incident involving the plaintiff Avery Mansion who is suing for injuries. At the scrimmage, I took on the role of plaintiff attorney along with Nina Andrews. The defense attorneys included Alexa Vastola and Matt Savloff. Dante Zazzera, Chris Mergner, and Carina Whiting did fantastic in their roles of witnesses regarding the case.
Current member Nina Andrews, who has been an active participant of the Mock Trial team and served as attorney on the case has told me of her experience thus far: “My reason for joining mock trial this year was as simple as my love for debating. I will admit there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season but honestly I am really happy that I joined this year and stuck with it. Mock Trial although it is a lot of fun it’s also a lot more work than you would expect. Personally going through this season I really got to see the work ethic and time you need to put in in order to do well and be prepared. Don’t get me wrong though, if you are truly into the idea of the club all the work is half the fun of it and there are so many people helping you through it. I love digging for holes in the statements that they give you and trying to figure what our opponents might say. You have to think a few steps ahead for it.”
There is a special thanks to Mr. McLaughlin who has helped us prepare for the case and consistently encourages us in practice and at the Mock Trial meets. This club would not have been possible without our dedicated team and jury and I look forward to future scrimmages and tournaments with my talented and hardworking Mock Trial Team this year.
