 The Bemidji School Mock Trial Team is currently down in Minneapolis representing Region 2 at the state competition. Lakeland News reporter Cheryl Moore has a story on what they did to make it this far, so far, for this week's Golden Apple. What are the regulations required to get out and inspect the truck before them? Objection, lack of foundation. Watch out, Minneapolis. The Bemidji High School Mock Trial Team is headed to state for the second year in a row. So we've been pretty successful. We had a good run from 2011, 2012, 2013. We made it to state and now we're doing our back-to-back 2017 and 2018. These students have been with the team for four years and it's really interesting to see how they've developed and I would say they'd give some real lawyers a run for their money. The team has spent the school year practicing legal jargon and understanding the trial process. This year, Coach Oz even set them up with a few scrimmages at Hamlin University and St. Cloud. And what happened shortly before 10 p.m.? Well, I was doing the new to midnight shift, which I like to do because it allows me to do my management in the mornings. They played the roles of lawyers and witnesses and they do it all in front of real-life attorneys. We get affidavits and we have lines and we ask questions often and then the witness is supposed to answer that specific question. So every night I just memorize my direct and my cross and then I write down objections that I'm going to make. It's a lot of memorization without it seeming like it's memorization. It's playing a character and knowing the rules and all the little loopholes that go in between them. By doing the mock trials, the students learn lessons that can translate to the real world, which is helpful, even if they don't pursue a career in law one day. What they learn is not only to present or public speaking, but they learn to think on their feet. To be able to object or to be able to come back with a response. Of course the team is hopeful that the skills they're learning will translate big to the judges in Minneapolis. Different teams and judges that you've never seen before and going up without notes and just giving a very formal speech in front of them is kind of intimidating sometimes, but it's definitely a good skill to have. Every year we kind of move up a little bit in the ranks. So this is the year that they're going to be the highest they've been. Reporting of Imagee with this week's Golden Apple, Shawmore, Lakeland News. The State High School and mock trial competition will go on until tomorrow. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.