Saturday was a good day for Paula Chihara, wife of local attorney Ted Chihara. Ted has been a coach for the Kaua‘i High School mock trial team for the past 22 years, and on Saturday, the Red Raiders added another
Saturday was a good day for Paula Chihara, wife of local attorney Ted Chihara.
Ted has been a coach for the Kaua‘i High School mock trial team for the past 22 years, and on Saturday, the Red Raiders added another state trophy to the school’s trophy case.
“We haven’t gotten the scores yet,” Ted said. “But the Kaua‘i team ‘squeaked’ past Hawai‘i Baptist Academy to get the state championship.”
The Saturday victory in Honolulu gives the Kaua‘i High School team its 12th state championship, although they didn’t come consecutively.
“The only year we didn’t win was in 2004,” Ted said. “That year, we finished in first place.”
In addition to the state championship, the team earned awards for Outstanding Witnesses in Elizabeth Schiller and Michael Julian. Nicole Gaetjen, another of the 18-student team, was awarded the Outstanding Attorney award as well.
With the state victory, Ted said the team now has to prepare for the national competition which will be held in Bloomington, Del., on May 10 and May 11.
“We’re going up against the best of the best,” said Aric Fujii, another of the team’s coaches. “The nationals is when all of the state winners come together and compete for the top spot. It’s the best of the best.”
But Kaua‘i High School is not alone in capturing the state championships.
Fujii said in the 25-year history of mock trial competition, every public high school on Kaua‘i has held the state championship at one time or another.
“Kapa‘a has its name on the perpetual trophy, and the year before they started the trophy, Waimea won the state title,” Fujii said. “It’s a testament to the kind of good minds we have here.”
Ted said this year’s case centered around a defamation suit where a student was unfairly portrayed by a teacher hired to monitor My Space.
Essentially, the case was to prevent cyber-fighting by students which would escalate to physical fighting.
With the trophy heading for the school’s trophy case, the team will now get together and plan for a fund-raiser to help offset the cost of getting to Delaware for the national competition.
Joining Ted and Fujii as coaches is Becky Sadamitsu, a former Kaua‘i mock trial team member and now a full-time coach. Erin Felsinger is the team’s teacher/adviser.
Fujii said the team is made up of 18 students — nine girls, and nine boys.
“They had a very good day today,” Paula said. “We’re so proud of them.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
