Finally. My MOCK TRIAL post. This one’s spent a long time in the rough draft stage, because nothing I ever write is good enough. I’m saying this because these people, each and every one of them deserve what they have coming for them. These kiddos are wildly talented, extremely bright, completely capable, very adaptable, and so stinkin’ smart. Each and every one of them have their own unique style too, and as much as I’d love to spend my time picking them apart and explaining how much I care for each of these humans individually, I’ve decided that I’m just going to write this post as a little love letter to my mock trial (er- tRoCK miAL) team and about my mock trial journey. Before I get into that though, I wanted to say something else first! Not only did Mock make me love the people around me more, but I also had the privilege of meeting other nerds, just like me, and bonding deeply with a wide variety of people. There are moments when I think to myself, man, I don’t know what I would have done without mock trial because some of my sweetest connections have been made through this program. So shoutout to my new and/or newly close pals, and an ever fatter shout out to CRFOCMT. Thanks very much! Anywhooooooo, Y’all hold such a special place in my heart. I mean that too. I think if I’m going to get descriptive though, I’d better start from the beginning. I walked into Mr. Spangler’s room for the first time with my friend Rhea who’s on the Academic Decathlon team. Since he’s the teacher coach for both, she went in to ask about scheduling things or whatever, and while I waited for her, he looked over and asked if I wanted to join mock trial. Out of nowhere. And it’s not like I looked presentable or worthy of being on a “smart kids only” sorta team. I came in wearing my filas, some random t-shirt, and sweats. That’s the look of a student who’s not trying. (Yo- quick shoutout to my student readers who understand and really connect with this lazy-mood vibe. I see you.) But when Spangler asked me, I was so caught off guard I almost laughed. From there, he started asking me what programs I was involved with and so my initial response became, “I can’t join, I’m too busy.” Or it was, “I’m involved in too much.” Or “I’m overcommitted.” You know, basic things you can say to blow someone off. But by the end of that day’s lunch period, he’d figured out that the two days I didn’t have major involvements were the exact same two days that mock trial met. Wild. I know. So he’d convinced me to go home and think about it, and then come back the next day and give him a definite yes or no answer. Well- I thought about it. And came back the next day. And I wanted to say no. I was so ready to say no. But when I walked into his classroom the next day, Spangler perceived my fake enthusiasm as real enthusiasm and got me to blindly agree to joining his program. Little did I know that this was the start to so many great things. When I joined and came to my first meeting, I felt so incredibly out of place. First of all, I was at school on a Saturday. For “fun.” And I didn’t know a single person in the room. And then, when I was given the role of Sawyer Smith to look over (the 2018 season’s victim), I felt underprepared and worried. The case packet I’d received that day was so thick and I was so terrified. When I was introduced to my attorneys that day I didn’t know who was doing what or what side prosecution was. The direct examination questions were sent to me that day and I didn’t even know what directs were! And when the coaches explained cross examination to me? I just about lost it. I felt so uncomfortable, yet I continued to trudge forward into the unknown. Only three days after this Saturday meeting though, I faced an even larger challenge. Our attorney coach, Jeff Blank came up to me while I was reviewing the friggin’ massive packet and told me that our team’s Raegan Klein (the 2018 season’s defendant) had dropped. And our first competition, (although it was preseason,) was THAT Saturday. And then Jeff, much like Spangler, convinced me to be both the defendant and the victim. That’s when my packet got thicker and my anxiety got higher. Fast forward to pre-season and my very first trial. Our pre-season competitions are held at J-Serra Catholic High School, and I remember rolling up in my mock trial gear and walking onto the school campus holding a legal pad and my sweaty jacket in my hands. I was so nervous. But after some coaxing and a quick prayer with my defense attorney Lexi Ballester, we went in and kicked some major butt. Long story short, out of all of our pre-season trials, we won the vast majority of them. And to make it even better, there was always some new inside joke with each trial, so it was during pre-season that I began growing closer with my team. I got to know a lot of the students really well, likewise for our coaches. Mannnn, I’m thankful for them. Now, before I get into what season was like, we had a week or two off before we went back to compete so that we could tighten up our questions and responses and our case. The days that we spent practicing were some of the most stressful days of my life. Holy cow. There was one night that we had practice in the library and we were going over the trial one last time before our first trial of season the next day, and I couldn’t remember ANY of my responses. Not even the easy ones! And watching the coaches lose all hope in me was terrifying (but now that I’m able to look back at it, .... it was suuuuuper funny...). I remember Sean Post looked at me blankly for a moment, and then at his timer, and then back at me, and stifled a laugh. Jeff took a moment and then looked at me until he suddenly began scribbling feverishly in his note pad. And Spangler? Oh boy... Spangler looked at me with such disappointment, and as he put his head down, he muttered, “If she can’t remember this anymore, I’m taking up smoking. I guess I’ll have to buy a wig and go up on the stand tomorrow.” WeLp?! That hit me because I went home after that practice and I cried and worked so hard that the next day, I nailed it. NAILED IT. It was awesome. And from there, I worked really hard, we worked really hard, and our team won every trial during the season. I’m not going to go through every trial or it’d take far too long and you’d stop reading, but there were so many glorious moments or silly things and it was wonderful. The whole time. The best part about season though, was getting food together after every trial. Being in community is so important and to share a meal every time after we’d worked our butts off, no matter what happened out there, was so rad. It really made my more appreciative for my friends on the team, and I honestly had more fun because we were able to laugh together and just eat pizookies instead of a real dinner every week or whatever. Those moments spent either at our table or waiting for out table were always the best because we’d just laugh and talk together, which was so fun. So anywho, fast forward some more to championships. Yes, our raggedy band of misfit law children made the list of the top 16 teams in Orange County (Sweet 16). Wild... I knowwwwww. Not only did we make Sweet 16, we also made the Elite 8! Those of you mock trial kids, you know what happened next, but I’m gonna explain it from my perspective, y’alls. We lost Elite 8. Our last round together. As a team. As a family. Our coach and program alumn Sean had been saying all year that when it’s over, it’s over and that we always needed to give it our all because you can never predict when you lose and everything’s done. With that said, the afternoon before the trial, Mr. Spangler had a fortune cookie with his lunch, and he handed me the fortune inside that said, “Give it everything you’ve got.” Looking back at that quick moment, it’s wild to think of what a sign that was. Because we left everything on the floor when we finished. Allow me to explain. Our team had a rebuilding year. Everyone on the team this year had never been in their positions before. Everyone was out of their comfort zone. It was wacky. Because last year, our school had a team of all returners (they’d made it to State Championships last the year before that), and that team only made it to the Elite 8 as well. So think about that. They went from something to something, and we went from nothing to something. Now, that’s something. So that night, when we knew we lost, and when we got the official message that we’d lost, we all hugged each other and sobbed at In & Out. We prayed together, we thanked each other, we made speeches together, the list goes on. I cried all night. And the next day. But I wouldn’t trade my time with that team for anything. So to my team, and to my coaches, and even to those who listened to me as I’d talk about mock trial incessantly, (or those moments when I’d just object in random conversations using actual courtroom terms,) THANK YOU. For EVERYTHING. I had the time of my life this year, and I honestly wish I’d joined sooner because this program changed my life for the better and I owe it all to these nerds. So once again, thank you so friggin’ much. AH.
Much Love, (Raegan, Sawyer, Food Coordinator Extraordinaire, etc.) Del