2008 Woodie Awards
Strong start for mock trial team
Matt Twillman
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Central's mock trial team appears to be picking up where they left off. Central placed 5th out of 14 teams at the Billiken Barrister Invitational Tournament at St. Louis University in early October. The solid performance follows the strong finish of last year's team.
The competition gives the team experience working within the judicial system.
Team members must prepare opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations and closing statements.
Central was one of seven schools to participate in the tournament, with most of the others fielding multiple teams.
As a whole, the team appears to be happy with the performance.
Central's Kelsey Whitt was awarded the Outstanding Witness Award.
"I thought we did extremely well, even better than expected," said Elizabeth Irsik, a first-year team member.
The strength of the team appears to lie in their ability to easily communicate with each other.
"We work really well together," Irsik said. "We can constructively criticize each other's performances without fighting. That's how we get better as a team."
"We all get along very well,"said Latonya Brooks. "We have really good teamwork and pick each other up when we need to."
Brooks, who acted as a witness for the prosecution and delivered the opening statement for the defense in the St. Louis competition, thinks the team can do even better in future competitions if they continue to improve each time out.
She looks to improve her individual performance as well.
"I want to be able to give the best opening statement possible and just help the team in any way possible," Brooks said.
"There are always going to be mistakes the first time out," Irsik said. "We just need to improve upon those mistakes."
"The main thing is that we need to know our rules a little better," Brooks said. "It's something we can work on when we practice and scrimmage."
Central will compete in November at the University of Kansas and later at Creighton University.
Central will also compete at Yale University, UCLA, UMKC and the University of Arizona from December through the spring semester.
The competition gives the team experience working within the judicial system.
Team members must prepare opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations and closing statements.
Central was one of seven schools to participate in the tournament, with most of the others fielding multiple teams.
As a whole, the team appears to be happy with the performance.
Central's Kelsey Whitt was awarded the Outstanding Witness Award.
"I thought we did extremely well, even better than expected," said Elizabeth Irsik, a first-year team member.
The strength of the team appears to lie in their ability to easily communicate with each other.
"We work really well together," Irsik said. "We can constructively criticize each other's performances without fighting. That's how we get better as a team."
"We all get along very well,"said Latonya Brooks. "We have really good teamwork and pick each other up when we need to."
Brooks, who acted as a witness for the prosecution and delivered the opening statement for the defense in the St. Louis competition, thinks the team can do even better in future competitions if they continue to improve each time out.
She looks to improve her individual performance as well.
"I want to be able to give the best opening statement possible and just help the team in any way possible," Brooks said.
"There are always going to be mistakes the first time out," Irsik said. "We just need to improve upon those mistakes."
"The main thing is that we need to know our rules a little better," Brooks said. "It's something we can work on when we practice and scrimmage."
Central will compete in November at the University of Kansas and later at Creighton University.
Central will also compete at Yale University, UCLA, UMKC and the University of Arizona from December through the spring semester.