After months of preparation, Burlingame’s mock trial team concluded its season in third place in the Northern Division — just one spot away from the Central Coast Section (CCS) semifinals. In total scores ruled by judges across the season, Burlingame scored 606.52%, behind San Mateo High School’s 611.59%.
The season began with a close loss on the prosecution side, but the mock trial team built momentum towards the end of the season. Ultimately, the team’s qualification depended on their final games: the defensive team beat Mills High School, but the prosecution lost to South San Francisco High School, sealing Burlingame’s third-place finish.
Despite missing CCS, student coach and senior Daisy Burruto said instructing members to fill knowledge gaps propelled a successful season.
“Because we lost one of the rounds at the end, we didn’t make it to semis this year,” Burruto said. “But I’m still very proud of how the team did. I know that they were all trying really hard. There was a lot of effort that went into it, so I am still very happy with how we ended.”
Throughout the series of mock trial competitions, three-year mock trial member and senior Abby Gorin, who played a witness, found responding to cross-examinations on the spot especially challenging.
“When you do cross-examinations, the other team cross-examines you with their own questions and with their own story lines,” Gorin said. “So it’s kind of just being able to adapt to that. On the spot is what is pretty challenging.”
Over the course of the season, first-year member and sophomore Giulia Monteverdi said she learned new strategies that will lead to an even more successful season next year.
“I learned what the right times to object were,” Monteverdi said. “I also learned how things work, considering I’m a new year and I’ve only been doing this for a year, it’s been really fun to see how everything works in the process of everything, and I think all those competitions really brought out new memories and how we can do better next year as well.”
With the addition of several new members, Gorin said the season overall concluded successfully and hopes that the team will continue to improve in the future.
“It was very successful this year,” Gorin said. “We had a lot of new members, and everyone did really, really well. And I’m just really excited, even though I won’t be here next year. I’m really hopeful that the team will keep on prospering and continue to grow.”
