Recovered from our old blog: June 25th, 2020 by Alex Wampler, member of the External Affairs Committee & previous PR Chair and Captain

For those of us who have been tucked away at home during these last few months, keeping busy has been a difficult task – especially when we don’t have mock trial! While keeping others safe by staying indoors or six feet apart is crucial, the struggle to stay entertained has reached us all. 

However, this experience has also given us the opportunity to discover new media and expand our horizons. With all this free time, many of us have explored outside of our comfort zones and found new pieces of entertainment to keep us occupied while we wait for the world to return to us. 

Our friends here at UTMT are no different! While most of us are accustomed to working on directs and crosses in our free time, our abridged season has left us with more time than we know what to do with. 
So what have our Vols been up to this quarantine? We asked our members to share with us a star media recommendation from their isolation. Here’s what we found! 

In an organization dedicated to litigation, it is entirely unsurprising that many of our members recommended crime-related media. More than once, the popular Crime Junkie Podcast was recommended. Crime Junkie Podcast, hosted by Ashley Flowers, tells the story of a new crime every Monday, and is a perfect small-dose fix for those of us in withdrawal from Midlands v. Jordan Ryder. 

More crime-related mentions include The Confession Tapes, Trial by Media, and The Innocence Files. All of these recommendations are docuseries collections and can be found on Netflix – ideal for nights when you want to relax on the couch and spend a few minutes in the world of investigation. 

As the responses strayed from true crime, there was still a pattern in the fiction our members recommended, too. It seems like fictional crime and legal drama is just as interesting as true crime. The famously popular House of Cards popped up in our list, along with How to Get Away with Murder, which recently released new episodes on Netflix. 

But all of this isn’t to say that our members stick to only one genre! One recommendation was the legendary Avatar: The Last Airbender. With the recent release of A:TLA on Netflix, this television show has expectedly exploded in popularity. It serves as an escape from our daily struggles while still providing a unique commentary on a battle against tyranny. 

Other recommendations included Friends, Sherlock BBC, Good Girls, Breaking Bad, the Witcher, and more. 

These past few months, UTMT has been missing mock trial severely with our season cut short.  Finding new media to consume and recommend doesn’t quite make up for missing out on ORCs, but it helps us stay busy and healthy. 
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We hope that someof these UTMT quarantine recommendations help with the boredom and monotony – and we appreciate the steps being taken to stay at home and keep others safe while our healthcare professionals do their best to reduce the spread and fatality rate of COVID-19. Until then, try some of these recs, and let us know what you think! We could even use some recommendations ourselves!
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Recovered from our old blog: February 4th, 2020 by Valerie Lick, 2020 graduate and previous member of the PR Committee and Captain

​Fifteen new members joined the University of Tennessee’s mock trial organization last semester. 

They didn’t know what to expect – but months later, they’re essential parts of the team. They’ve taken on leadership roles, faced down intimidating new roles, and become part of the UTMT family.

Brett Berry, a freshman in biological sciences, said his first college invitational was nerve-wracking – at first. 

“Our first two invitationals were really fun. I was really nervous, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I learned a lot,” he said. “I guess it made me a lot more sure of my decision to do mock trial.” 

Berry already did mock trial in high school. But at UT, he said mock trial took on a new meaning for him. 

“It’s great for public speaking, teamwork, debate skills, all those good reasons,” he said. “But I would say the biggest reason is the friends and community you get. For me, it’s the community aspect. I’ve made a lot of great friends and great memories through mock trial.”

Right now, he’s preparing for a brand-new role: He’s co-captaining a team. He said he didn’t expect to be chosen as a captain – but his co-captain, junior Megan Engle, said she couldn’t imagine leading the team with anyone else.

“As a leader, he’s supportive, thoughtful, and organized,” Engle said. “Bret has faced every task, responsibility and challenge posed by this position with a smile and a can-do attitude.”

Another new member, Sarah Batten, said she’s taking on new challenges.

“I’ve improved in confidence in public speaking – and being comfortable when things don’t go exactly the way I wanted during competition,” Batten said. 

Batten is studying chemical engineering. By staying cool under pressure in competition, she said she can handle any challenge the professional world throws her way.

“Whether it is a first job interview or a research presentation, I need to have confidence in what and how I’m saying my points,” Batten said.

Batten and Berry both want to keep improving. They also both said they’re glad they found UTMT. 
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“I know a lot of my freshman peers are still trying to find a place they belong in college,” Berry said. “For me, mock trial is kind of my home.”

Recovered from our old blog: December 8th, 2019 by Valerie Lick, a 2020 graduate and previous member of the PR Committee and Captain

    This past semester has been a busy one, in the world of mock trial. As with any semester, there have been ups, downs, and events that threw us all for a loop, but, more than anything, it has been a blast! Let’s take a look at what UT Mock Trial has accomplished this year so far!

    Our first team to travel to a competition this semester, captained by Grady McGinnity and Alex Wampler, went to St. Louis, Missouri. The nearly 8-hour drive was spent practicing the materials and playing car games, preparing for one tough competition. 

    That weekend began with excitement and, of course, a healthy amount of nervousness, but nothing could keep this team down. Spirits were high for the entire weekend, and they even found some time to visit the St. Louis Arch to snap some fun team photos, all while laughing about their inside jokes and funny comments they made during the competition. 

    Grady and Alex’s team came away with the Warren J. Davis Civility Award that weekend, an award given to the team that exemplified the true spirit of the American Mock Trial Association. In addition, two members of this team won individual awards: an outstanding witness award for Grady, and an outstanding attorney award for Maryellen Wooten. 

    Our next team to go to competition was captained by Sydney Selman and Kyle Mangrum, a powerful duo who lead their team at the competition in Elon, North Carolina. Their weekend began bright and early as they left Knoxville at 8am on the first day, preparing for their first round on Friday, two rounds on Saturday, and one more on Sunday. 

    This team was definitely there to win, but that didn’t stop them from having some fun, too! They made sure there was plenty of time for team-bonding during the trip, and even played a game of Red Flags at Texas Roadhouse. 

    At the end of the weekend, Sydney and Kyle’s team traveled back to Knoxville with a tough competition under their belts. Plus, Kyle won a well-deserved outstanding attorney award! 

    Our third team traveled to The College of William & Mary in Virginia. This team, captained by Jacob Lovin and Jenna Santero, was ready for anything! Both of these captains were very familiar with this competition, and they prepared their team for a challenging, but fun, weekend. 

    The competition began smoothly, each member ready to win. Despite accidentally leaving the pre-trial binder at the hotel (and sending Jacob back for it before the round started), this team still powered through the weekend epically, holding their own at a tough competition.

    When the weekend was over, Jacob and Jenna’s team came away with three individual awards: an outstanding attorney award for Jenna and outstanding witness awards for Jacob and Evan Mukherji.

    Each team’s competition had its highs and its lows, but they were all leading up to our favorite time of the semester: the Middle Tennessee State University Invitational. At this competition, all three of our teams traveled to Murfreesboro to compete, and, hopefully, take home the famous gavel. 

    The teams split up into their respective cars and took off, ready for a fun weekend of mock trial. It began smoothly, with all three teams meeting up for lunch before the first round commenced. The dining area was filled with the sound of chatter, everyone either practicing or making jokes about this year’s case. 

    There were, of course, some struggles throughout the weekend; some members were feeling sick, some case documents somehow went missing, but, ultimately, everyone powered through and had a great time! 

    That weekend, UT Mock Trial came home with more than one award: outstanding attorney awards went to Grady McGinnity, Kyle Mangrum, and Maryellen Wooten; outstanding witness awards went to Grady McGinnity and Sarah Batten; plus, Grady and Alex’s team came away with an honorable mention for the Spirit of AMTA award. 

    With this semester’s competitions complete, we made sure that we all got together at least once more before winter break. UT Mock Trial gathered one last time for the semester at the Paper Plate Awards, hosted by Alex Wampler and Maryellen Wooten. Each member received at least one award, either for something great or something funny they had done this semester. There may have been a mishap with the hot cocoa and the cups from which to drink it, but overall, it was a great way to end our semester of mock trial. 

    This fall season has been one for the books, made great not only by our returning members, but by our new members as well. Each and every member of UT Mock Trial has contributed to this wonderful semester, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve in the spring! 
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    And remember: live UTMT, love UTMT! ​
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Recovered from our old blog: April 7th, 2018 by Kiersten Marsh, previous Secretary & Captain 

​What is Mock Trial?

When people ask me that question, I give them the standard answer.

“It’s a public speaking competition where we receive a fictional court case. We prepare each side of the case and try the case with other teams across the country.”

I give them the standard answer because when people ask what mock trial is, most of them honestly don’t care. They just want to know the basics, and then they want to move on with the conversation.

“Oh, that sounds neat!”

But the truth is, mock trial is not just a public speaking competition. It’s not just a fake court case for undergrads. The truth is, mock trial is far more than what people see on the surface.

The weekend of March 23rd, I had the pleasure of competing with the University of Tennessee Mock Trial’s A team at the Memphis Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS). At the conclusion of the tournament, we were a single point away from qualifying for the National Championship Tournament. We poured our hearts and souls into State of Midlands v. Dylan Hendricks, and we came up a single point short. We sat in closing ceremonies for a bit – angry, sad, and overall just defeated. And the thing is, if mock trial were just a public speaking competition, I probably would have quit by now. 6+ hours of practice per week, whole weekends of competition, tens of hours of driving, missing class. . .all to be shut down by a single point? However, as I said, mock trial is not just a public speaking competition.

Mock trial is Margaret Frank ~almost~ hitting the high note in Praying. Mock trial is Andres Lozano making endless memes about the other team. It’s Kylie Ronnow laughing at something hilarious that Mary Grace Johnson said. It’s eating at Smashburger before a tournament at the suggestion of Em Cullum. It’s Taylor Massey sassing an attorney on the stand to remind the other team that UTMT is a force to be reckoned with (re: “Ma’am”). It’s long nights and even longer laughs in a random room in HSS. It’s weekend-long sleepovers with people who grow to be some of your best friends. Mock trial is, above all, a family.

Through mock trial, I have met some of the most incredible people. People from all different backgrounds that elsewhere, would probably not have been introduced to me. People who have taught me more about myself, about life…about everything really, than I care to admit most of the time. People who I can’t wait to watch become incredible teachers, lawyers, actors, you name it. Mock trial means so much more to me than that single point could ever take away, and I am so incredibly thankful that I found such an incredible organization. There truly is nothing like it.
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So if you’ve ever asked me what mock trial is…now you know.


Kiersten Marsh
kmarsh20@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: March 22nd, 2018 by Alex Wampler, previous PR Chair & Captain 

​Flashback to about seven years ago: I was in the seventh grade, and my social studies teacher announced that at the end of the week, we would be doing a “mock trial.” They told us that this was a fake court case that would last a single class period, and everyone would be assigned a role. These roles included being an attorney, witness, judge, or jury.

I was assigned to be a part of the jury, but a last-minute complication placed me in the role of a witness: the defendant’s mother. Now, the details of the case, I can’t remember; all I know is that I very much enjoyed that class period, and I wished we could do it more often.

Back to the present: I’m a freshman at the University of Tennessee and a first-year Mock Trial member. If I could go back to my seventh-grade self and tell them that in a few years, I would be dedicating most of my free time to UT’s Mock Trial Organization – well, I’m not sure what seventh-grade me would think, but present-day me thinks that I hit the jackpot.

My joining of Tennessee Mock Trial was an unexpected, very-much-appreciated stroke of luck. I came incredibly close to changing my mind and not auditioning. Since I became involved with this organization, I found friends in some of the best people I’ve ever met. I can honestly say that making the decision to audition for Mock Trial has changed my life in positive ways that I can hardly even describe.

Being a first-semester freshman in Tennessee Mock Trial and having never participated in a high school mock trial was interesting. I met my first team: a group of people who quickly became a family to me. As a timid first-year, I was willing to do whatever my captains told me to do because I obviously had no clue how to be a successful team member.

As it turns out, I had no reason to be timid at all because my captains were incredibly talented and helpful. To this day, even after having been on other teams, I still think about how lucky I was to have been on my first team. As a witness, I learned what to say on the stand, what I could probably get away with saying, and what I should never say. For a long time, I barely knew anything about the case except for bits and pieces of my own character. The rest of the case was a blur.

As my first team went to invitational competitions, I was so nervous that I could barely sleep before these competitions. Despite preparing our case for months and competing at invitational tournaments, I don’t remember exactly what happened during the trials. I don’t remember what my team or anyone else said on the stand, aside from a few outrageous exceptions. The parts I remember most are the inside jokes, the notes we would pass during a trial, the memories that I made, and the bonding that we all experienced as a team. Experiencing the excitement, the stress, the exhaustion, and the hilarious (and sometimes disastrous) mistakes we made during the trial, I made a decision to stick with Mock Trial, through thick and thin. This organization has taught me so much, not only about objections and courtroom presence but about myself and my ability to be a part of something that is so much bigger than just me.

This reflection has been scrambled, and I suppose this is appropriate. My first semester in Mock Trial was scrambled. I began the semester afraid of talking to my captains because they were so intimidatingly talented, and I ended the semester grateful for everything they did for me and everything they taught me.
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I think what I’m trying to say is Mock Trial is an organization, yes, but most importantly, it’s a family, and I couldn’t possibly imagine a better group to spend my freshman year with.


Alex Wampler
kwample1@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: March 7th, 2018 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair
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You probably already know this by now but if you didn’t, Tennessee Mock Trial is an organization based on fake litigation. We willfully scrutinize over details that make no matter in the “real world” and we consider doing this to be one of the best parts of our lives.

Sounds crazy, I know.

Tennessee Mock Trial doesn’t just compete, we win. We are an award-winning organization marked by personal growth, friendships, academic success, and of course, some hardware for the trophy case.

The pursuit of first place is never in vain because we get there a lot. However, the true pursuit is of helping each of our members become the best versions of themselves.

Our Mission: To educate and empower students to be confident and knowledgeable in the process of litigation.
Our Vision: To be an organization that serves to provide an empowered future for its members.

We accomplish our mission by hosting lecture style practices, meeting bi-weekly, spending hours outside of practice together, and always fostering a positive environment. We proudly host students of all academic majors with a variety of occupational aspirations. Tennessee Mock Trial is a vessel to get students from one level of success and confidence to another.

We work towards our vision by setting up measures that will allow future students and members of the organization to succeed. Members of our executive board keep files of what they’ve done in their position and how to succeed in that position. During this past year, our executive board and captains have been more accessible and involved than ever. We are increasing our presence on campus and making a lasting impact in not only our own lives but also reaching out to other organizations.

Tennessee Mock Trial is currently home to 27 undergraduate students, competitors, friends, and leaders. Each member of a team carries weight on scoring ballots and in the harmonious relationships we have with one another.

Any member, past or present, will happily tell you that mock trial has helped them grow further into their full potential. They will tell you that this is where they feel at home, where they feel supported, and probably that this is where they met their best friend.

Tennessee Mock Trial is family and there is always a seat at the table.

Send us an email to get involved: utmocktrial@gmail.com
Welcome Home.


Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: February 26th, 2018 by Taylor Massey, a 2018 graduate and previous PR Chair and Captain 

​The date is February 28th, 2016, and I am a failure. A few months prior, I had been asked to co-captain my very first team with my very best friend, Andres Lozano (our now-president). We were both second-semester sophomores who still had so, so much to learn, but we were ready to rise to the challenge. Spring practices began and we met our new team. We employed every possible strategy we could think of to encourage and motivate them to grow with us, all while the two of us faked it till we made it. When our attorneys perfectly recited rules of evidence, we threw them a piece of candy. When our witnesses killed a tough cross, we wrote down their answers to congratulate them afterward. When we needed to come up with a creative character, we decided on… zombie-obsessed-teenager. Ok—so we weren’t perfect, and somehow Andres and I convinced the whole team that this was actually a good idea. We’ve always been pretty good at the faking it part.

After hours and hours of perfecting our directs, preparing our crosses, and praying no one forgot to pack their courtroom shoes, we drove off to Durham, North Carolina for our regional tournament. I was so confident, and Andres and I genuinely thought we had a good shot at a bid to ORCS. We ended the weekend 2-6 and nowhere close to a bid. On February 28th, 2016, I was a failure.

Before I knew it, another season of Mock Trial was upon us. Andres and I formed with Kylie to lead a three-captain team. We meshed perfectly and were blessed with hard workers who wanted to win. We ended up placing 2nd place at MTSU, and we were over the moon. The three of us moved onto our A-team that spring, expecting great things. We were either too naïve or too over-confident, but we really thought we’d make it to nationals. We really were an amazingly talented group, but we just couldn’t make it happen. We ended the weekend 4-4 and nowhere close to a bid. On February 19th, 2017, I was a failure.

This spring, I have been honored to work with our A-team once again. We had setback after setback early on and ended up taking a 6 person team to the Alabama Crimson Classic. We were nervous and prayed that we’d draw an easier team for our first round so we could comfortably get our feet wet. Instead, we drew Alabama (who won not only their own tournament the year prior but won MTSU as well). We went defense, which left the fate of our witnesses in Alabama’s hands. Of the three witnesses I had (barely) prepared for, I ended up performing one of the few I had not. We went into that round shaking in our boots. We ended up going 7-1 and taking home the first place trophy. On January 21st, 2018, I started thinking to myself, “Maybe I’m not a failure today.”

This past Sunday, our team attended the Louisville, Kentucky regional tournament. As we looked over the list of teams in attendance, we picked out three teams we absolutely did not want to face. Vanderbilt was at the top of my list. We left opening ceremonies and headed into our first round against, obviously, Vanderbilt. We faced great team after great team, picking off one at a time by increasing margins. We ended the weekend 8-0 and with the first place trophy in hand. We had a bid. On February 11th, 2018, I was a winner.

As I reminisce about my past four seasons with UTMT, I have come to the realization that I was never a failure. I was young. I was inexperienced. I was in way over my head far too many times. I was underprepared. But I was never a failure. I was growing. I was learning. I was having little, more difficult to measure, wins.

Seeing my team congratulate each other after a well-fought round was a win. Watching a freshman improvise an amazing cross point was a win. Hearing a witness keep her character throughout questioning was a win. We were always building, always growing, and always winning. And we’re not done yet.
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So maybe we will go to nationals this year. Maybe we won’t. We’ve already made it farther than I could have hoped. The date is February 19, 2018, and I am a winner.

We’re all winners here.

Recovered from our old blog: February 19th, 2018 by Kylie Ronnow, 2019 graduate and UTMT President, VP, Secretary, & Captain 

Going into this semester I could feel the strength of our team. Five out of eight people on the team had been captains the semester before and, frankly, we knew what we were doing. Before we went to a tournament hosted by The University of Alabama in January we hit a roadblock. It was established that one member couldn’t compete that weekend so we knew going in that we were a seven-person team, no big deal, right? By the time we would be heading to the Alabama Invitational we would be down two more members and be scrambling to find a replacement.

After finding a non-member to rope into joining, we were a six-person team going to a competition where all we wanted was one ballot. The car ride there was filled with the reassurance that surely we wouldn’t do as bad as we thought. When we got to the Invitational we would face teams that had previously competed at the ORCS and National level. We thought we were in over our heads. However, at the end of that tournament Andres, UTMT President, and I would go up and accept a first-place championship trophy. We were shocked.

The next few practices we focused on the Regional tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. Anytime someone mentioned doing well there was a chorus of people yelling “YOU BETTER KNOCK ON WOOD” and sure enough they did. When it came time to leave for the tournament I knew this team was special. We were, at this point, a team of seven confident, smart, and capable people.

At our Regional, the first team we faced would be Vanderbilt University and we were terrified. We knew they were good and we knew this would be difficult. We would go on to take two ballots from them. Along the way we faced Emory University, Indiana University, and the University of Kentucky who all gave us a run for our money. Thankfully, we met the challenge every single time. Again, at the end of this tournament, Andres and I would go accept the first place trophy and a bid to the next round of competition. We were shocked.

Being on a team with six other strong, confident, and opinionated people have been nothing more than a pleasure. At this point, we’re no longer teammate, but in fact a family. We have memories and stories that no matter how hard I try, no one else on this planet will be able to understand. Every single member of that team is my person. They know me and I know them and despite all of that we still get along.

To MaryGrace- Thank you for joining our team even though we slack off in practice and probably waste your time.

To Margaret- Thank you for showing me how to relax before the round by screaming Praying by Kesha, while hitting the high notes, and not being afraid of who is watching.

To Kiersten- Thank you for being someone I can always count on to pick up any slack that anyone leaves behind.

To Em- Thank you for being the team member who always can spot the silver lining and knows how to genuinely make everyone die laughing.

To Andres- Thank you for writing hilarious notes to me during the trial. These notes make me find the humor in even the largest mistake.

To Taylor- Thank you for showing me how to lead, be confident, and be me. The list can go on and on.

My team this semester has shown me so much, but most importantly they have shown me how when we come together, we are unstoppable.

Kylie Ronnow
kronnow@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: February 12th, 2018 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair

The hardest thing about being a leader is watching the people you lead fall short. This is what happened to my team this weekend, but only on paper.

At the beginning of this semester, I was honored to be asked to captain a team with Kyle Mangrum. The opportunity to serve as a leader in this organization was incredible and graciously accepted. This was only the start of a journey that would prove to be unexpectedly transformative.

For months, I gathered in a room with nine people for four hours every week. We tried to find the proper balance between practicing and having dance battles. We watched YouTube videos, quoted Vines, and watched Noah Hooton do the Cha Cha Slide week after week. This was happening in conjecture with us preparing to travel to the regional American Mock Trial Competition and go on trial to argue about attempted murder.

There were drugs, affairs, tears, threats, secrets, confrontations, betrayals, and that’s just what was in the case materials. In my team, there was self-sacrifice, self-discipline, teamwork, and encouragement. We had brand new members that experienced mock trial for the first time this weekend who scored better than I have with six years of experience under my belt.

Brooke Hoffner and Hannah Foran, new to the team, were powerhouse attorneys. We learned that Brooke is a real-life Elle Woods and that Hannah puts the team before everything she is feeling. These two ladies learned cross examinations minutes before performing them in a competition setting and went from sustaining objects made against themselves and having to repeat pre-trial matters hundreds of times to saving entire testimonies and being ranked on ballots.

Kyle Mangrum, Noah Hooton, and Truman Beene were our veteran attorneys. Truman Beene is notorious for expressing his nerves in comical ways and frequently. This entire weekend, Truman did not make a single comment about his nerves. In doing this, he fostered an environment of confidence amongst our team. When Noah wasn’t dreaming about murdering me, explaining how to sleep on the side of a pillow, or going on hour-long quests, he was crushing it in the courtroom. Noah ranked first on a ballot, scored perfect 10s, and enabled me to win my very first witness award. Kyle’s closing statements changed lives, flipped themes, and made entire courtrooms feel things they never thought they could feel.

Alex Wampler forced me to slink down in the witness bench to hide my laughter from his incredible portrayals of a detective, a street musician, and a 13-year-old. Watching Alex annihilate opposing counsels on cross-examinations all with the slightest hint of a smirk on his face was enough to make our entire team beam. Tamara Alimurka switched from child to PTA mom without the slightest hint of trouble. She snatched high scores and witness rankings while also making everyone laugh and writing Vine references to me during entire trials. Sharing the witness bench with Alex and Tamara can best be described by doing your absolute hardest and returning to see multiple pages of positive notes about you when you returned to your seat.

My team enabled me to win my first ever witness award as the defense expert witness, pharmacologist, Dr. Ryan Reeves. The feeling of having your name called for an award is beyond the point of exciting and exhilarating.

This isn’t the only award my team won.

Before we left for the competition, I told my team about the Spirit of AMTA award. This award goes to the team that exemplifies the best sportsmanship at the entire competition. I told them that losing this award was not an option because as representatives of the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Mock Trial, we ought to feel compelled to win this award. I told them to compliment other teams as they got ready, give constructive feedback so other teams could succeed in future rounds, never be rude, and to do this for ourselves.

Out of every team at the regional competition, my team won the Spirit of AMTA. They held doors for teams, laughed with them, comforted them in obvious distress, took pictures for them, and acted with grace and genuine kindness.

Standing up to receive this award on behalf of this team brought tears to my eyes because I couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to call myself a captain of the people that taught me the most.

They watched me sob on the phone with my father in between rounds when I felt like I, as a captain, had done something wrong in training them for this competition. When we left for the competition, I thought that we were going there to win ballots and receive a bid to continue in the competition. I would never have guessed that we were there to look inwards at the deepest parts of ourselves and bring out confidence, grace, and composure.

My team won.

We won an individual award, the Spirit of AMTA, irreplaceable friendships, world records for Uber addictions, patty cake competitions at Señor Iguana.

We did not advance in the competition. We lost most of our ballots. We faced loss after loss.

Even with all of the heartbreak, discouragement, disappointment, trials, and tribulations…

My team won.
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I won when I was chosen to captain Team 1167 and I will never lose what I gained when I lost at the Louisville, Kentucky Regional Tournament.


Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu