When polysyllabic surnames attack!
I know I’ve been gone for a long time folks, but I kid you not when I say last week has been the week from hell in terms of multiple events going on every. single. day. 
I’m 2 assignments behind in AppAd,1 nearly a week behind on a Tax assignment, couldn’t even tell you how far back I am in reading for Sales, etc etc etc. I’ve got another bullet-pointed update to post at some point this week that will explain in greater detail.
In the interim, however, this past weekend we had our annual tryouts for NCCU Law‘s trial teams — where I got mauled by polysyllabic surnames 
Once again I ended up being defense counsel for a guy on the hook for murder, with a scant 7 minutes to explain to the jury in my closing why there’s no possible way he could have done it. The biggest challenge for me? The dead guy’s name is McKenzie, the trigger man’s name is Kubinsky, and the widow who financed the hit is the dead guy’s wife Mrs. McKenzie.
Trying to say McKenzie and Kubinsky in the span of a few minutes didn’t turn out so well. See for yourself…2
Folks I’ve gotta tell you, I felt like the closing was going pretty doggone well until I hit that point — but the instant my tongue got tied up on his name, it seemed like time itself crraaaaawwwwwllllled to a standstill. I left out part of what I planned to say, added in stuff elsewhere that I never planned to say, and felt like I speed-talked through the final two minutes to make sure I made it within the time limit.3
No one but myself to blame on that one. I was fighting hard for #1 in the competition but at this point I’ll be content just being on the team again 
If you want to read through the fact pattern that was used in this case, check out State v. Blizard at TYLA.org.
More to come later this week. Have a great night y’all! 
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From the trial team competition-related archives:
- When polysyllabic surnames attack! (10/03/11) [this post]
- Wrong man. Wrong place. Wrong time. (05/05/11)
- Getting caught up (03/12/11)
- NCCU Law 1Ls take Silver (again) in K-S competition! (02/22/11)
- The #omgwut continues… (02/21/11)
- Top 10 works for me! (02/20/11)
- 2 out of 3 ain’t bad… (02/19/11)
- “It’s a Small World After All” (02/18/11)
- Game Time (02/17/11)
- TYLA! ::happy dance:: (11/09/10)
- Making lemons into lemonade (10/07/10)
- Scaling the wall, redux (09/19/10)
- And litigators do this everyday?? (09/18/10)
- Alice in Wonderland (03/24/10)
- NCCU Law 1Ls take Silver in K-S competition (01/17/10)
- SUCCESS!!!! (01/16/10)
- Success!! (Redux) (01/15/10)
- Success (01/14/10)
- Getting into competition mode (12/30/09)
- “Just because everyone else is doing it…” (11/23/09)
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