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Two Macalester students won individual honors at the American Mock Trial Association’s national championship tournament last spring. Laura Bower, Dallas, Texas, tied for first place and Daniel Burgess, Richardson, Texas, tied for third for their portrayals of attorneys in simulated trials.
Two first-year students (Christine Elliott of Normal, Ill., and Etie Grunfeld of Staten Island, N.Y.) were one point away from achieving the same honor.
Two Macalester teams qualified for the national tournament by finishing first and second in the regional qualifying tournament. It was Mac’s sixth consecutive regional championship and its ninth in 11 years. Although Mac teams did not finish in the top 10 nationally for that year, they have done so seven times in the last 10 years.
We asked Laura Bower and teammate Amanda Westley a few questions.
Dallas, Texas
Philosophy and Japanese
Why do you participate in Mock Trial?
I’ve been participating in Mock Trial since tenth grade.
I plan to be a trial lawyer. Mock Trial isn’t exactly like reallife trials, but a lot of what I’m learning is helping me. For example, we learn the real Federal Rules of Evidence, which helped me immensely in summer jobs at law offices when they asked me to do research or work on appeals. And we develop good public speaking skills.
What do you enjoy most about Mock Trial?
I love taking trips on the weekends and staying in a hotel with my teammates. It’s fun to spend the whole weekend together. We bond over dinners and hot tubs as well as in the courtroom. Winning is great, too.
We do that a lot at Mac.
How did you celebrate your
success at nationals?
The first thing I did was call my mom. It was my third All-American but the first time I got first place in the division so it was pretty exciting, and it’s always nice to get recognition. I was happier for Dan, my teammate, who had every award on his shelf but this one and finally got his All-American.
Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Hispanic Studies
What surprised you most about Mock Trial?
How hard everyone works. People are serious about winning, and that means everyone working hard. One or two dedicated people can’t “carry” a squad; everyone has to put in effort.
What do you get out of it?
Mock Trial gives you confidence and it helps your speaking skills. I am much more detail conscious now, because you really have to comb through the affidavits carefully, or you could get burned during a trial. My creative problem-solving skills have grown a lot, too. It’s usually the creative solution that makes the best case theory.
Why would a new Mac student enjoy Mock Trial?
The things I loved the most as a first-year student were the opportunities to meet older students, travel a little bit, and enjoy the experience of working hard on something that is always a team effort and that everyone makes a real contribution to.
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