For 20 years the Trinity Pacific Christian School mock trial team has been participating in mock trial tournaments, facing down other teams at county, state and national levels. But this is the first year they have competed from their own homes! Because of COVID regulations, mock trial competitions throughout the state of California this season were conducted virtually through Zoom. At first, everyone had their doubts about competing through a screen, but the experience was overwhelmingly positive for the team. The downside to competing virtually meant no fun road trips or personal interaction with other teams, but there was an upside as well, including having more experienced scorers who could Zoom in from all over the U.S. The 2020-2021 mock trial season provided our students with an opportunity to rise to the challenge. And rise to the challenge they did! The Trinity Pacific Christian School Mock Trial Team placed 4th in the Empire New York Mock Trial World Championship in November, and 4th in the NorCal Mock Trial Invitational in January. Most recently, both the varsity and junior TPCS teams took awards in the Ventura County Mock Trial Tournament, placing first and second out of 26 teams in the county. This is the third time the TPCS team has won county, placing first in 2018 and 2019. Both the junior and varsity teams will represent Ventura County in the 2021 state competition online March 18-21. While the TPCS Mock Trial Team hopes for a return to traditional tournaments in the near future, the unusual 2020-2021 season will be remembered more for its wins than its losses.
