2006 Logos National Mock Trial Press Release

From the 5 June 2006 edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Early mornings, late nights highlight mock trial preparation Logos team breaks into ‘stratosphere’ with ninth-place finish at nationals

By Emily Thomason, For the Daily News

Cecilia Hui and seven of her classmates from Logos School got together three days a week at 6 a.m. to talk about murder and sabotage.

They were part of the Moscow school’s mock trial team that placed ninth out of 44 teams at the national competition May 11-13 in Oklahoma City.

The competition revolved around a case of rodeo rivals and a second-degree murder charge. A bronc rider died from head injuries she sustained after her hack rein broke during the competition. Her rival was accused of cutting her rein and taping it so the rein appeared fine.

The case was revealed to the teams April 1, giving Logos and the other competitors a little more than a month to prepare for nationals.

“I think the most challenging part was getting everything ready in a short time for nationals,” said Hui, who acted as one of the team’s defense attorneys.

The team conducted informal practice sessions at night to squeeze in extra hours to answer objections or give their characters dialects.

Vicky Trochez played a witness for the prosecution and gave her character, “Happy,” a Southern accent.

“There were a lot of overtime hours,” Trochez said.

Coach Chris Schlect said the students gained confidence through the mock trial program.

“The kids themselves have said they’re not intimidated to speak in stressful situations,” Schlect said.

Hui agreed mock trial has improved her speaking skills, since much of the time the speaking is impromptu.

“Mock trial is not working from a script. It’s working from your feet,” Schlect said.

Logos placed 11th in the nation in 2005.

“We beat our own record,” Schlect said of the team’s May performance.

Ninth place is the highest an Idaho team has ever finished. The team’s only loss was a split decision to the eventual national champion, Iowa.

“When you break into the top 10 that’s sort of the stratosphere,” Schlect said. The team received a trophy for its ninth-place finish.

Logos has won the state competition for three consecutive years.

Trochez said she originally chose to participate in mock trial because she liked to act and had come to Logos after the 2005 drama auditions. A friend told her mock trial also had a dramatic feel.

“I remember going to tryouts and thinking ‘what am I doing here?’ Everyone was sitting there objecting,” she said.

Trochez wanted to continue with the mock trial program to see the team beat its 11th place in 2005.

Schlect said the team had to eat, sleep, and breathe mock trial to prepare for the national competition.

“It’s really the entire work of a mock trial season collapsed into the month of April,” Schlect said.

Hui said the early mornings and rule memorization was worth the work. She does not think she will pursue a career in law, but she still found the experience rewarding.

“It gave us a lot of experience and it was a lot of fun hanging out with the team in Oklahoma City,” she said.

Schlect credits the logic and rhetoric courses at Logos for helping prepare the students for the competition.

“What these kids have accomplished is far more than I could have done at their age,” Schlect said.