The Mock Trial season began with enthusiasm as members participated in a scrimmage Saturday, Nov. 9 to prepare for their first competition, which will be their district competition. This competition determines whether or not they will make it to state and takes place this Saturday on Nov. 16, in Austin. 

Participants engage in scrimmages, or faux-competitions, to gain experience before advanced competitions. While there aren’t any stakes to ‘losing’ a scrimmage, there is still a degree of pressure to them. Senior Xochilt Devora, a returning Mock Trial member, explained the importance of scrimmages.

“Most of the time we scrimmage to have more practice in before the competition,” Devora said. “So we do feel the need to do good because of the fact that the scrimmages reflect how well we’ll do at district and state.”

Despite the desire to do well, Devora is optimistic about her team’s performance in the upcoming competition.

“This is my second year in mock trial as well as an attorney,” Devora said. “I’m really excited for districts and super nervous at the same time but still confident that we can make it to state.”

As reflected in their most recent scrimmage, the team is confident they will advance, the team only having small areas of improvement. 

“As an attorney I did feel like I needed to get better at catching objections,” Devora said. “But as an overall team there were just some minor details that needed to be addressed involving affidavits.”

Attitude plays a role in the performance of members as well. The culture and dynamics amongst the team can make or break a competition. 

“For my team specifically we are all super supportive of each other given the fact we were friends before forming the team,” Devora said. “We sometimes get overwhelmed, but we always find ways to lift each other’s spirits.”