March 5, 2014 at 4:29 p.m.

Sheth, O'Brien lead RHS Mock Trial team to another state tournament

Sheth, O'Brien lead RHS Mock Trial team to another state tournament
Sheth, O'Brien lead RHS Mock Trial team to another state tournament

By Marcus [email protected]

Success is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as achieving the "favorable or desired outcome" of an attempt at something. At Rhinelander High School, that definition can be simplified down to two words: mock trial.

The defending state champions - who have won six titles in the last 10 years - are headed back to state this weekend after capturing their 28th consecutive regional title in February. The 31st annual Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament begins on Sunday and concludes with finals on Monday before the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Madison.

Mock trial participants at RHS are split into two teams - Team 1 and Team 2. Team 1 is usually made up of seniors and juniors, students who have been a part of the program and have experience. Team 2 is usually reserved for the younger participants to get their feet wet before moving up to Team 1.

Last year's teams fit that mold as Team 1 was comprised mainly of seniors. There were two juniors on Team 1 last year, however, and those two are being leaned on heavily by this year's team for both leadership and advice.

Thankfully, the two students - seniors Amber Sheth and Lydia O'Brien - are more than up to the task, according to their coach, Kathy Vick-Martini.

"They're excellent role models as far as just demonstrating how to do it right. I am convinced that there are no better student attorneys in mock trial than those two girls. Really. They are just phenomenal," Vick-Martini said.

"They're not only really talented, they're humble, they're really likable - they're everything you could ever want in senior leadership. They're both really intelligent, they're poised, they're beautiful."

"When they're dressed up in their suits and in the courtroom, there have been judges that have said just give them their law degree, that they don't even need to finish high school let alone college let alone law school. They're just so good. They're really, really excellent," she added.

That's good news for the Team 1 which is comprised of talented but inexperienced students.

"This is my 31st year doing this and it hasn't been too often that we've had so many young, inexperienced kids on Team 1. It doesn't happen very often, and I'll tell you, these kids have had daily role models (in the two seniors)," Vick-Martini said.

"They keep seeing not just me explaining to them how they should do it, but they see it in action every day by just watching Amber and Lydia. I couldn't show a film to them - this is how it should look, this is how you should do it - I couldn't show a film that would do it more effectively than how these two do it."

The two seniors know the decorated history of the Rhinelander mock trial program and are trying to uphold the school's reputation for excellence.

"I do think that through our years of previous experience as members of Team 1, we can kind of lead by example," Sheth said.

"There's definitely a lot of pressure, but that's kind of what we do in mock trial. We perform well under pressure. That's what we're trained to do so I think that our team will be able to see it through to the end."

O'Brien said the shadow of past teams can loom large.

"I feel pressure just to be the team that wins again," O'Brien said. "A lot of the members of the old teams are still in contact with Mrs. Martini, so they like to check up on how the team's doing. Some of them were really good teams that won nationals or got second at nationals, so I definitely think about that going in."

Expectations are always high for the Rhinelander mock trial team but overcoming a pressure-filled situation can be an exhilarating experience.

"It's a pretty good feeling. After we won state last year, I know we were all so happy because we had joined the league of mock trial (teams) who had won state in the past," O'Brien said.

"It's really, really awesome to be a part of such an amazing program that's had so much success. It's nice knowing that you were one of those who also succeeded."

After more than three decades of coaching, Vick-Martini admitted she still feels the pressure too.

"Absolutely. The thing is, when we first started winning, it was such an amazing feeing to win and beat all these other teams that were bigger than we were, especially at the state level," Vick- Martini said.

"You'd think after so many years it wouldn't feel as good, but each one feels as good as the last."

The team is deep into preparation for the state tournament and that means a lot of hours spent rehearsing their roles.

"We've done a lot to prepare. We meet four days a week - Monday through Thursday - and then we practice on Sundays in the (Oneida County) Courthouse. We generally have some sort of guest judge come in to judge our trial on those days," O'Brien said.

"We always go over our roles as much as we can because we all have scripts that we need to memorize, but we also need to be ready for anything that comes up during the round that we're not prepared for. Some other team might bring up some new federal rule of evidence that we have never encountered before, so we have to always be prepared for that as well."

It's that dedication to preparation that creates success, Vick-Martini said.

"Obviously every school district has smart kids, but these kids are willing to work harder than anybody else. That's why they win. They work harder," Vick-Martini said.

"They're just willing to dedicate hours to preparation. They give up all kinds of things all year long to be able to be good at this. You've got to hand it to them."

It's that hard work that could help them bring home yet another state championship.

"I think that, if every one of them can turn in their best performance, the best performance that I've seen them do this year, then I think we're going to be among the top teams at state. That's what I'm hoping for," Vick-Martini said.

Both seniors, known for their humble demeanor and team-first attitude, tempered their expectations a bit, noting that the state competition is more about the experience than the trophy.

"No matter what the outcome, I think it's a good experience for everyone," O'Brien said.

"My personal opinion is that we should place well. I don't know about winning at this point. Some of it is luck going into the first round, but I think we should do well."

"I'm happy that we've made it to this point and I'm proud of the hard work that everyone - my teammates, my coaches, outside community members who have helped us - I'm proud of the work that we've all put in," Sheth added. "I think, no matter what the outcome, I'm still going to be happy with the result."

Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].

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