Team B (our novice team) cut their teeth on their first invitational at the Coast Guard Academy this weekend, winning 1 ballot (out of a possible eight). They were nervous, but prepared and professional. All of the students are eager to compete in more invitational this semester before the regional placements in the spring. This is a mirror image of the current Team A from their very first invitational ever last December at Temple.
Team A placed 9th out of a field of 20 teams, moving up consistently as the tournament went on, finishing with a record of 5 winning ballots, 3 losses. In only a year of having a team, this is a remarkable achievement particularly the improvement from last year! Anthony Giannopolous, new to the team this year, was told by a round judge (who is also a fulltime faculty member at the USCGA) that he gave the best cross-examination he’d ever seen in any of these competitions.
Our first award happened at this invitational – Cara Turcich won an individual award for best witness performance. These awards are determined by the judges in each round deciding which competitors gave strong performances as both attorney roles and witness roles.
PHOTO COURTESY of Gregory Bordelon