Dos Pueblos Mock Trial’s Team A is moving onto the next round of the Santa Barbara County Mock Trial Competition after a day of rounds on Feb. 24. At the second round of competition, Team A will be joined by Laguna Blanca, Carpinteria, and San Marcos. The winning team will represent Santa Barbara County at the state competition. DP’s Team B also competed in the first round but did not make it to the second round of competition.
The night before the competition, both teams had a potluck where they discussed their thoughts for the next day and signed the TOE (Tradition of Excellence) banner.
“It’s something that we pass down through DP Mock Trial, as, like, not only doing good and competing and winning tournaments, but also just being kind to our teammates, to other teams, and just spreading respect,” said Team A member Victoria Chen (12). “It’s really nice that … it allows us to bond with people from not only our own state, but also all over the country. So I think just having that sense of respect between teams is really nice.”
For Team A Captain Tobin Bohley (12) he was “super happy” to be moving on to the next round and felt proud of the team overall.
“I have to say that my favorite moment was seeing our own B team closing,” Bohley said. “ The way our team works is that we have an A and B teams, but they’re kept very separate all year. So getting to see what our B team has been working on behind the scenes was definitely a highlight for me.”
Eight DP students received awards for their performance throughout the day. Owen Andrews (10) won an Outstanding Prosecution Witness Award for his portrayal of Emari Sunshine, the victim’s brother in the case. Mitchel Maskrey (11) won an Outstanding Defense Witness Award for his role of Nic Yang, a friend of the defendant. Tobin Bohley (12) won an Outstanding Defense Attorney Award. Charlotte Choi (12) won an Outstanding Prosecution Attorney award. Jason Wang (12) and Alexis Demboski (10) won Outstanding Witness Awards for their roles as Dr. Parker Turner and Dr. KC Vasquez, expert witnesses in the case. Anastasia Li (12) and Victoria Chen (12) each received honorable mentions.
Next weekend, on March 2, Team A will compete in the final day of the County Competition at the Santa Barbara Courthouse for the chance to compete at the state competition.
