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Mock trial team brings competition to campus

By Linnae Stole '10
November 19, 2009
The St. Olaf Mock Trial Team will host the Ole Open in Regents Hall Nov. 21. Members of one of the three campus teams are pictured above at a recent invitational at Macalester College and include (from left) Katherine Burggraaf ’12, Peter Engstrand ’12, Nolan Franti ’12, Brad Thomas ’12, Justine Goeke ’10, Nate Brengle ’10, Maddy Schaeffer ’10, and Steven Wilfong ’11.

 

After two years of traveling away from campus for competitions, the St. Olaf Mock Trial Team will host the first “Ole Open” invitational in Regents Hall this weekend.

Students from around the Midwest will converge on campus Nov. 21 for the meet, including teams from Macalester College, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Luther College, Cornell College, Ball State University, and St. Ambrose University. Local attorneys and St. Olaf alumni have volunteered to serve as judges.

A growing team
St. Olaf’s mock trial team, which formed under the direction of alumnus Charles DeBeck ’09 and Justine Goeke ’10, has grown steadily since its inception in the fall of 2007. This year 23 students will compete on three different St. Olaf teams and will participate in seven to 10 invitationals hosted by schools that include Macalester, the University of Minnesota, Luther, St. Thomas, and the University of Iowa. They will compete at the regional competition in March and hope to advance to the national competition in Des Moines in April.

With the addition of Regents Hall to campus, which provided the space for an invitational, members of St. Olaf’s mock trial team decided this year to follow the leads of other competitive schools and host their own meet.

The fictional case that will be the focus of this year’s mock trial season is called “State of Midlands vs. Jackie Owens.” Jacob Bennet, a partner in an entertainment company named Trifecta, has been found dead. One of his partners, Jackie Owens, has been accused of killing him. Witnesses range from police experts to stargazers and mechanics, and even the third partner in Trifecta, Casey Maxwell. As in any mock trial case, there is no concrete solution. The winner is determined by how well each side, prosecution and defense, presents its case.

“Mock trial competitions are adrenaline-packed,” says team captain Brenna Robinson ’10. “At each trial, something new — sometimes something awesome, sometimes something pretty devastating — happens. And each time, we problem solve as a team and individually in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.”

Strong start
For returning members, the mock trial season begins before St. Olaf students head back to campus in the fall. The American Mock Trial Association releases the year’s case in mid-August, and students may then start brainstorming. Recruitment takes place in the first few weeks of school, and returning members host practice sessions in how to write direct and cross examinations and how to create a character and explain the rules of evidence.

Once interested persons learn the basics, teams start forming their case and entering competitions, which generally commence in early October. The still-young St. Olaf team is off to a strong start this season, placing fifth out of 32 teams at a recent competition held at the University of Iowa.

Participating students at St. Olaf come from a wide variety of majors, including history, classics, English, biology, chemistry, and Spanish. Current seniors are considering career paths as varied as pharmacy, medicine, and pre-law. “In particular,” explains Robinson, “mock trial is a wonderful pre-law activity. It allows you to build relationships with alumni and attorneys in the area, and it gives you an idea of what the legal process looks like.” The team currently works with a number of area attorneys for guidance, including Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster and private practice attorneys James Schlichting '68 and Jonathan Norrie '98.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.