For most students at Normal West, mock trial is just another club.
But this year, the team turned it into something much bigger.
After winning the state championship and representing team Illinois, the Normal West Mock Trial team advanced to the National High School Mock Trial Championship — something almost nobody on the team expected at the start of the season.
The national tournament took place in Des Moines, Iowa on May 8 and 9, where they ended as the 16th ranked team in the nation.
“Even if you would have told me like a week before state that we would have been state champions going to nationals, like I would have laughed in your face,” senior Katherine Masters said.
When asked if nationals ever felt realistic, the entire team answered the same way, “No.”
At the beginning of the season, the goal was simply making finals at state.
In Illinois, only the top ten teams make finals.
According to coach Dr. Bierbaum, even that felt ambitious.
“That’s always the goal. It’s a pretty ambitious goal,” Dr. Bierbaum said. “When you get number one, you’re like now you’re in fantasy lands. So everything since then is just details.”
Dr. Bierbaum also emphasized the impact of longtime mock trial coach Bob White.
“This season has been partially dedicated to our alumni, but also to our 82-year-old mock trial coach, Bob White,” Dr. Bierbaum said.
“He’s part of our secret sauce and even though he is in an advanced part of his life, he made it a pact to do every single thing the kids did, so he came to every single practice, stayed every single hour, he came to Iowa with us. And largely this season would not have been possible without Bob White.”
For many team members as well as the coaches, the realization that they could actually compete nationally did not fully sink in until after they won state.
“I honestly didn’t realize it until we won state,” senior Anna Davitt said.
Still, the team slowly gained confidence throughout the season.
“We actually are good at what we do,” Masters said.
Competing against powerhouse states also changed the team’s mindset.
“You hear about teams like Texas and California and think they’re unbeatable,” senior Hayden Kuchefski said.
But after close scrimmages and strong rounds, the team realized they belonged.
“We only lost to Florida by six points, and they won nationals,” Masters added.
Preparing for nationals quickly became a full-time commitment.
“It was basically our entire lives for a month,” senior Joey Smyder added.
And although it was a lot of time, the team kept busy by editing materials and preparing for the big competition.
“I see Bierbaum more than I see my parents,” junior Kylie Pollett joked.
Dr. Bierbaum explained that some state champions actually decline nationals because of how demanding the preparation is.
When the team arrived at nationals, the atmosphere immediately felt different.
“We got off the bus and immediately started scrimmaging Texas,” junior Jackson Wiegner said. “That was the moment where it finally felt real.”
At first, competing against some of the best teams in the country was intimidating, but that quickly changed.
“It stopped feeling scary and started feeling exciting,” junior Jordan Stovall said.
It was at that moment that the team realized that they were ready for the challenge.
“Once you actually compete against them, you realize it’s just another trial,” Pollett added.
Students also said one of the biggest misconceptions about mock trials is how much work it takes.
The team notes that the preparation for competitions is challenging and that none of it is scripted.
“It’s not something you become good at overnight,” Masters added.
It was no surprise to the team then that the national competition was extremely stressful and high pressure.
“By the last round I was so exhausted I genuinely think I blacked out,” senior Jacob McKinney joked.
Senior Anna Davitt even noted that she felt like she had to rewrite her “direct examination like four different times.”
As an example, junior Katherine Masters remembers having to completely rewrite work that she had done in a quick manner.
“One of my key exhibits got objected out and I had to completely improvise,” Masters noted.
Even with the pressure, several moments proved the team belongs on the national stage.
Dr. Bierbaum pointed to a scrimmage against Iowa and a close round against Florida, the eventual national champions, as defining moments.
“The Florida round was the moment where I realized, ‘We’re not just here–we’re competing,’” he said.
Despite the stress and preparation, many students said their favorite part was simply being together as a team.
“The whole trip honestly felt special because I got to spend it with people who feel like my family,” Davitt said.
As the season came to an end, team members reflected on what they hope people remember about this year’s run.
“I want people to understand how important what we did was for our school,” Masters said. “This was the first non-IHSA activity at our school to win state.”
One thing is for sure, this year was something that the team and the Normal West community will remember.
“A bunch of really different people came together and made something special,” Raya Radoslavova said.
