University sophomore Michelle Baker has her priorities.

This year she scheduled her classes around practice and coaching for the University Forensics and Debate Team, keeping three days a week open for the team. Baker estimates she spends just under 20 hours a week practicing and coaching with the group.

But Baker is not alone in the long hours that go into prepping for the “real life” tests that accompany the University’s traveling academic teams. For Baker and other students involved with the University’s Forensics and Debate Team or the Mock Trial Team, the time is well spent.

Though she reserves the majority of her time for the debate team, Baker says involvement with the group has altered her career path.

“I love [the debate team] so much, I came to school with a general idea of what I wanted to do and now I’ve done a 180 and it’s become my life,” she said.

This weekend, the team competed at Otterbein College, in Westerville, Ohio — a suburb of Columbus — against nationally ranked teams like Eastern Michigan University, Bradley University and Creighton University. The team placed third out of 18 schools and 300 participants, earning eight final round placements.

Not only did the team do well this weekend, but their previous accomplishments have Paul Alday, team director and instructor in the Theatre and Film Department, hoping their luck will remain.

“For the past three years our team has won at the Collegiate Forensics Association Competition in Montreal, Quebec,” Alday said. “If the team wins again this year, it will be the longest winning streak for the debate team.”

The 18-person team competes against seven to 50 teams at one time, with each individual competition consisting of 13 different events. Each student must prepare to compete in as many as five events.

Every team debates on the same issue, with this year’s issue being criminal justice reform.

While some people might find competitions and long hours strenuous, members of the team can’t get enough, Baker said.

“I love the competitions, getting to meet new people, and the adrenaline rush after coming out of a round,” she said. “There are many early mornings and many late nights but for many of us this is what we love to do and when we come out of a round, we have our team members to support us and it’s a great feeling.”

Along with good feelings, after all is said and done, team members will have much to take with them.

“Every experience I know I will use somewhere else in my life. Being on forensics exposes you to so much with diverse backgrounds, political views, every aspect that you can think of,” Baker said. “Despite the diversity we all come together and love each other.”

Sophomore Bethany Nanamaker has many diverse activities on her plate, but two stand out to her.

“The two most important things I do at BGSU are the Mock Trial and the Impact Learning Community, to show you how important it is to me,” said Bethany Nanamaker, a member of the University’s Mock Trial team. “It’s about my goals in the future and how I will achieve them.”

This weekend the team competed at Yale University, placing second among 64 teams. BGSU came out on top against Harvard and Amherst College.

But even if the team wasn’t on a winning streak, Nanamaker said she’d still be involved.

“It’s fun to have a successful season, but even if it wasn’t a successful season I would still do it,” she said.

Along with other universities nationwide, the team “tries” either a civil or a criminal case as decided by the American Mock Trial Association. Competition consists of four rounds with two judges deciding which team wins, ranking individuals on the team.

More than 15 students are participating in the University’s Mock Trial this year, split into two teams dubbed “A” and “B.” Students play either an attorney or witness role. Last year, team members Kevin Minnick and Meredith Fisher were picked as All-American Winners. They remain a part of this year’s team.

The practice schedule for the team requires commitment, said M. Neil Browne, distinguished teaching professor of economics and one of three coaches of the team.

“With six to eight people per team, the teams practice for about 10 hours per week developing their roles as witnesses or attorneys,” he said.

The Mock Trial Team came to an end about a decade ago, according to Browne, but after increased student interest he and his wife Nancy Kubasek, professor of legal studies and international business at BGSU, decided to form the team again last year. Kubasek coached the team when it was originally created.

“Students were telling us that they wanted competitive experience in public speaking, and so Nancy Kubasek and I decided to bring the Mock Trial Team back to the University,” Browne said. “The best aspect of coaching the team is watching the improvement in self confidence and the incredible development of skill over months of practice.”

That’s something that team member Holly Barnes has seen through her participation with the group. Barnes, who hopes to become a teacher, says mock trial is a great resume builder and place to acquire public speaking skills. Barnes plays a witness for the team.

“During mock trials logic is important, and even more so is delivery and knowledge,” she said. “I want to be a teacher, so the Mock Trial Team gives me the opportunity to perform in front of people.”

Dan Tagliarina, a co-captain for the “B” team, echoes Barnes’ views.

“I want to go into law school, so [the team] gives me a lot of practice and performance skills by speaking in front of the public,” he said.

For Kevin Minnick, co-captain of the “A” team, motives like these make his job easy. “The students on the team are extremely motivated to perform well. They are already willing to put in the time and energy necessary to make our team successful at the Penn and Yale invitational tournaments,” he said. “They are certainly motivated by the desire to prove themselves to schools that are traditionally well-respected in mock trial.”