Revere’s Mock Trial students are expecting a shift in the aura of the sport, but they are looking forward to the challenges the season presents.

Revere’s Mock Trial team completed a normal season last winter. Morale was high as the team was set for a deep run the following season. However, the Coronavirus has shifted multiple aspects of everyday life, and Mock Trial is no different. Normally students would whisper to their partners, discussing the information presented, now they type their exchanges through the Zoom chat box.

Head Coach Alan Silvidi said his team is ready for the challenge, knowing that everyone else is dealing with the same thing.

“Last season, we finished just before COVID hit, so it was a normal year for us. This year they are doing everything on Zoom. I do not know what that will look like, but I do know that this is what is going on in most legal professions right now,” Silvidi said.

With the lack of conducting cases in a real courtroom, the atmosphere is expected to feel different. All of the Zoom meetings will have the same dialogue as normal cases, but the lack of location may be felt by most students and judges.
Senior Owen Desberg talked about the extreme change of the atmosphere.

“There is something about putting on a suit and actually sitting where you know real attorneys sit and are arguing cases. With little faces on a computer, I am not sure how much of that atmosphere is going to transfer,” Desberg said.
The duties of the students have changed as well, either for better or worse. The biggest threat to the team is the unknown. All it takes is a second for guidelines to change. Teams will compete separately, whether that is different days or in different rooms.

Senior Shannon Albert talked about the direction the season has taken.

“Thankfully a lot of our [tasks are] easy to do remotely. With the tournament, we have some people at school and some at home, and we know we have teams going on different days. There is a lot of confusion on how we will make it work,” Albert said.
Although the atmosphere and responsibilities will be different, the aspects of the season are similar compared to the past. The content of the case is similar to past seasons, the preparation for the students is normal, and the competitions are the same, besides the fact that they are virtual.

Silvidi believes that, even though the workload is heavy, his students will put in the work.

“I am actually surprised how everything else stayed the same. The shocking thing to me is how much work this is for the students. They take hours and hours to prepare. I would really like to see them go [to regionals] this year,” Silvidi said.

With the postseason approaching, the Mock Trial Seniors know that this is the last time they will debate on behalf of Revere, which is why they are accepting the challenges of an online season. Throughout the ups and downs, the seniors wish to make the most of it.

Albert spoke about the departure of the class.

“It is our last year [and] we are trying to make it work. I am trying to take everything that I can, and make the most of what I have this season. We are trying to make it as normal as possible while having as much fun as possible,” Albert said.

Revere’s Mock Trial team had two separate teams competing in regionals and one of them, Team Justice, is going to compete at states.