i can either burn a village or jump out a window....options suck
So, I am currently sitting a hotel room (1126) at the Marriott hotel in Memphis, TN. Why am I here you may ask? One simple answer: mock trial. This intercollegiate sport/academic competition has consumed my life for the pass two years. Normally, like the top 3 teams out of their regional will advance to nationals and then the remaining 3-8 teams would go to a qualifying round for nationals. However, this year they decided to try out a new system that way only the best teams would be at nationals. Thus, the top 8 teams from every regional go to a open round championship and from there the top 6 teams advance to nationals. At our regional we won 8 ballots, going undefeated. All season long Bellarmine's A (852) team has dominated, winning one of the most prestigious invitations GAMTI (great american mock trial invitational) hands down this year and Bellarmine's B (853) team has done really well too. I consider myself a member of both teams, since each year I have been on both and basically the same time, thus I am a member of 852.5. But, that aside, competing with 852 this weekend. First round, we took both ballots, being only one of two plaintiff teams to be 2-0. Then second round came this morning. This was against EKU, a team we pretty much hate. I think this is because we are so similar in style aka country and aggressive. However, they are a mediocre team in comparison. After their case-in-chief, one of the judges left because of an emergency. The AMTA (american mock trial association) representatives had no idea what to do.....so we waited, and waited, and finally over an hour later the judge came back. I am really glad he came back because he had us tying while the other stupid judge had us losing. I believe this lose came because the break through us off and the judges stopped paying attention because they were tired of sitting in a round for 4 hours. So, we're 2.5-1 going into round 3, which means we have to take both or split to win.......we did neither. We lost--both. RIDICULOUS! Where they a better team? NO! One of the attorneys called me a lesbian during the round, we dominated on every objection, impeached every witness, and the guy crossing me even ran out of time. Both of these trials all of us felt very good about--they were our best trials of the seasons...However, the biased Memphis judges found us too prepared and thus cut us. One of the judges knew the fucking team and used to compete for them, thus as they presented their unprofessional case that was exactly how she learned to do mock trial. We were screwed, ROYALLY. Because mock trial is very subjective, and southern judges HATE us. Maybe if we had done bad I would understand but this shit is just ridiculous. I have 2 more years to try for a national championship, but for 4 members of 852 this was their last year. To be so close to winning, to having worked so hard, and then have to just taken from you is the worse feeling ever. I just want to cry. I just want to punch something. I never win at things and it seems like my pattern of getting SCREWED OVER has rubbed off.... really, what in the hell did I do wrong to always be so defeated?