After months of preparation, the mock trial team competed against other schools for the first time at an invitational hosted at Apple’s Litigation Building in Sunnyvale on Jan. 12.

This invitational allowed Santa Clara County teams to practice against teams from around the state. At the invitational, the prosecution side faced American High School from Fremont while the defense side competed against Grigori High School from Modesto.

“The intriguing thing I noticed is that the invitational wound up being similar to practice,” social studies teacher and teacher coach Jim Chin said. “It’s great to see the kinds of arguments that other teams use.”

Chin felt that observing other teams gives the team a “better sense of the arguments and characterizations that work for them.”

Freshman Karthik Padmanaban, playing the role of an attorney, found his first time competing against another school a “really fun and completely different” experience.

“It felt different being in the room with the judge watching you, and there is a lot more pressure,” Padmanaban said.

In addition to Padmanaban, six other members are newcomers to mock trial, and the invitational gave them and the experienced members a chance to come together as a team.

“The invitational is when the team starts to bond for the first time and is always fun,” junior Jennie Werner, who plays the defendant, said. “Since it is more laid back than competitions, it is a great way to see where we are at without the high stress level.”

Werner used the invitational to learn more about her character and have a little fun as well.

“During the invitational, an attorney on the opposing side asked me an open ended question on cross, which you’re not supposed to do,” Werner said. “I then told the court my entire life story while she stood there awkwardly unsure of how to shut me up.”

Chin felt that the invitational overall went well.

“Our attorneys acquitted themselves well under some tough questions from the judges — I was scratching my head trying to come up with responses to some of the questions raised during pretrial,” Chin said. “And our witnesses were professional and quick-thinking during cross-examination.”

Despite doing well at the invitational, the team members in general agree that they have a lot of work to do before competitions begin, starting with memorization.

“Our team needs to make sure we get off book,” Chin said. “I also wonder if it will be more helpful for team members to think about getting the flow of an argument down as opposed to memorizing lines.”

Werner agrees that there is definitely room for improvement.

“The invitational pointed out our weaknesses,” Werner said. “However, now that we know what we need to focus on, we will be better prepared for competitions.”

The team held a practice trial against Los Gatos on Jan. 14, and will have another against Lynbrook, open for viewing by all, in the school library on Jan. 28. The competition starts Feb. 5.