"We work hard. We do well. We look good in suits" - Anonymous Student
While Mock Trial is a bit more than that unattributed quotation, it's pretty on point.
We work hard. Starting when the problem comes out in late August, we review it, and the student leadership begins the process of recruiting, organizing tryouts, setting the Fall teams, and getting the Introduction to Mock Trials course ready. Once the teams are set, we practice. After getting our case theories and presentations down, we compete regionally in the Fall in multiple invitational tournaments where we refine those theories, tweek our presentations, and polish our skills. The winter is busy preparing the Law and Judicial Advocacy course, and that quickly turns into the Spring, where we compete in invitational tournaments prior to the first round of the American Mock Trial Association tournament season. This begins with our Regional Tournament, where we compete against over twenty other teams for the privilege to advance to the Opening Round Championships. At this much tougher level of competition, comprised of teams that finished in the top 6 spots of their respective Regional Tournaments, only the top 6 finishers receive a bid to the National Championship Tournament. At this level, the work begins again as a new problem is released that is only used for this tournament, and the competition is fierce.
We do well. Perhaps this should be "We do well and good." We compete, and while success is always on our mind, representing ourselves and our University well is always at the forefront. We work on the right way to compete, ensuring that we are beyond reproach in what we do, and how we do it. But, in addition to doing good, we also do well. The program had a record year in 2015-2016, with both teams doing well, the program earning its first win at in invitational, multiple attorneys and witnesses earning awards, and strengthening an already strong core of competitors. In 2016-2017, the program reached record successes, finishing in first place at one of the largest invitational tournaments in the country, earning two bids to a highly competitive super-regional (for the first time in school history), and finishing 7th and 8th at that super regional, narrowly missing advancing to the National Championship Tournament (NCT) for the first time in school history. In the 2017-2018 season, we continued that success, and earned our first-ever bid to the NCT, where the top 48 teams in the nation battle to determine the national champion. In 2018-2019, we had more teams than ever before and we continued our program's success narrowly missing sending another team to the NCT.
Finally, we look good in suits. It's always fun to get dressed up to the nines and go out on the town, and for us, we enjoy wearing our finest suits, walking tall into the courtroom, and having a blast. The phrasing of the statement, though, is more telling than its substance. While wearing our suits and traveling to competitions in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama is enjoyable, there is a camaraderie that is difficult to define or quantify, but quite tangible, that will serve as the basis for so many good moments and relationships on the team and beyond, whether that be in law school, graduate school, or the work force.
Interested in learning more about UA Mock Trial? Or, you can check out the University of Alabama Mock Trial Facebook page.
We work hard. Starting when the problem comes out in late August, we review it, and the student leadership begins the process of recruiting, organizing tryouts, setting the Fall teams, and getting the Introduction to Mock Trials course ready. Once the teams are set, we practice. After getting our case theories and presentations down, we compete regionally in the Fall in multiple invitational tournaments where we refine those theories, tweek our presentations, and polish our skills. The winter is busy preparing the Law and Judicial Advocacy course, and that quickly turns into the Spring, where we compete in invitational tournaments prior to the first round of the American Mock Trial Association tournament season. This begins with our Regional Tournament, where we compete against over twenty other teams for the privilege to advance to the Opening Round Championships. At this much tougher level of competition, comprised of teams that finished in the top 6 spots of their respective Regional Tournaments, only the top 6 finishers receive a bid to the National Championship Tournament. At this level, the work begins again as a new problem is released that is only used for this tournament, and the competition is fierce.
We do well. Perhaps this should be "We do well and good." We compete, and while success is always on our mind, representing ourselves and our University well is always at the forefront. We work on the right way to compete, ensuring that we are beyond reproach in what we do, and how we do it. But, in addition to doing good, we also do well. The program had a record year in 2015-2016, with both teams doing well, the program earning its first win at in invitational, multiple attorneys and witnesses earning awards, and strengthening an already strong core of competitors. In 2016-2017, the program reached record successes, finishing in first place at one of the largest invitational tournaments in the country, earning two bids to a highly competitive super-regional (for the first time in school history), and finishing 7th and 8th at that super regional, narrowly missing advancing to the National Championship Tournament (NCT) for the first time in school history. In the 2017-2018 season, we continued that success, and earned our first-ever bid to the NCT, where the top 48 teams in the nation battle to determine the national champion. In 2018-2019, we had more teams than ever before and we continued our program's success narrowly missing sending another team to the NCT.
Finally, we look good in suits. It's always fun to get dressed up to the nines and go out on the town, and for us, we enjoy wearing our finest suits, walking tall into the courtroom, and having a blast. The phrasing of the statement, though, is more telling than its substance. While wearing our suits and traveling to competitions in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama is enjoyable, there is a camaraderie that is difficult to define or quantify, but quite tangible, that will serve as the basis for so many good moments and relationships on the team and beyond, whether that be in law school, graduate school, or the work force.
Interested in learning more about UA Mock Trial? Or, you can check out the University of Alabama Mock Trial Facebook page.
