This year’s case for the annual Maryland Mock Trial Competition is as engrossing as it is timely, featuring a high school senior (Sarah Perez) who suffers a tragic concussion while playing lacrosse at a local club league. The girl suffered a head injury the year prior under a different coach, and her mother (Casey Perez, played by Mariah Saunders, ’19) is suing the imagined league (referred to in the case as the Springfield County Lacrosse Club, or SCLC for short) and coach (Shannon Dempsey, played by Caroline Bayless, ’19) for damages resulting from her permanent brain injury.
The team, though it is almost half made up of freshmen, has done exceedingly well, having beaten perennial top competitors Annapolis and Severna Park. The competition has been strange; many members of the team would say that they have lost several trials undeservedly as a result of inconsistencies in judging. Mock trial is a great opportunity to practice public speaking, critical thinking skills, and improvisation, as there is nothing like a sustained objection forcing someone to immediately rewrite all of their questions while standing in front of the entire court. Not to mention all the drama that ensues; the backstabbing, the lying, the he-said-she-said, and the contradictory evidence that comes out makes it as fun to watch as it is to participate in. Though the season is over, next year's should be equally intriguing, and individuals are encouraged to try out.
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