The CHS Mock Trial Team won the State Finals for the third year in a row last weekend. The team competed in the Regional Tournament in Grand Rapids on March 10th and was seeded 6th out 10 teams going into the State Finals competition.

Because of their low seed, the CHS team was forced to compete against the 5 seed in their first trial and the 1 seed in their second trial. They won both of these contests as well as the two others necessary to become state champions. In the final trial the CHS team’s defense side went up against their long-time rival Kalamazoo Central High School. CHS faced off against Kalamazoo in the finals in 2011 as well as this year.

Team members described the competition in the final trial as a battle of different styles. Kalamazoo’s team presented their case in a different way than any of the other teams CHS had faced previously, but thanks to strong witnesses and quick-thinking in revising their closing argument the Ann Arbor team came out on top.

This win was special because 2012 was Social Studies teacher Chloe Root’s first year as coach of the team. Cheryl Grace, the previous mock trial adviser, retired last year after placing 18th at nationals. The team lost many senior leaders from 2011’s state championship team and their future was unclear. However, team members cited increased teamwork, excellent coaching and long hours of work for allowing them to repeat last year’s win.

The CHS team will compete in the National Mock Trial Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico from May 5-8, 2012. They must learn and prepare an entirely new case for the national tournament. The case will become available a midnight on April 1.

Watch below to listen to reactions and analysis of the state tournament from members of the CHS team.