Sadler (OSU
Of all the competitions that take place over the five days of session, the Moot Court
competition is arguably the hardest to participate in and win. Competitors must make themselves
familiar with almost two dozen examples of precedent, then stand in front of the Supreme Court
of OIL to present their case and defend their position. While some delegations allow
participation in Moot alone, many delegations require participation in a legislature as well. OSU
is one of these delegations, requiring Moot competitors to bring or co-sponsor at least one piece of legislation. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview OSU’s sole Moot delegate for this session: Sydney Adkins. Adkins is a sophomore at OSU who previously placed 3rd in the Moot competition last session, and it’s safe to say her expectations for herself this session are high. When I asked her if she felt any other pressure to perform, she said “[OSU Delegation leadership] is confident in me. The expectation to meet where I was last time is there, but they’re okay if I don’t.”
As I come from a school barely five years old, we still lack the infrastructure that many other
institutions have been able to develop, so I was curious how OSU delegates prepared in the weeks leading up to session. Adkins gave me some interesting insights that actually changed how I viewed my own prep and the competition as a whole. The assistant clerk of the House, Caden Young, won first runner-up at a previous session but declined a seat on the Court. Why? According to Adkins, “delegate Caden actually declined a spot on the court so he could still stay and coach moot at OSU.” It’s given me a new respect for Caden seeing the selflessness that motivated his decisions.
As for her work in prep, here is a direct excerpt from our interview:
Sadler: What’s the prep and program like? Is your case completely built before session?
Adkins: It’s a toss-up. I change my case around a lot because I’m continuously finding and
reading new things. I bring a blueprint, and then fill it out at session.
Last year was the most structured I’ve ever seen. We met weekly, had practice sessions, practice
rounds, and Justice Cross came to meet with us.
This year, it was more tailored to my style, and Caden helped me individually since there wasn’t
anyone else.
S: Why did it get more tailored this year?
A: I’m OSU’s only moot court competitor. We started the semester with 4, and now its just me.
I concluded the interview with a couple personal questions. Adkins, beyond her Moot
success, is also an academic overachiever to put it mildly. She entered college with dozens of
hours and finds herself technically a senior by hours despite her sophomore classification.
S: Where do you see yourself after school?
A: Definitely getting a masters. Right now, I’m interning with Trish Ranson (an Oklahoma
representative) at the capitol, and hopefully the employment contract we have in the works goes
through. That’s where I see myself working, and then after I graduate undergrad with my
political science degree, maybe on to Washington!
S: What do you see yourself getting a Masters in?
A:I don’t know. I see myself going the polisci route, but it depends on if I want to focus on
research or just get the degree.
A: I took an IR class last year, and my research project was nuclear deterrence. It was one of the
most interesting things I’ve ever done, so seeing how the world is right now, I might just keep
studying it.
S: But you don’t see yourself going into law?
A: I do, actually. It was one of the only things I was sure about going into college. I think moot
really hammered that in for me. I just liked what I was doing and I want to keep doing it.
S: Okay, last question. What’s your dream law school?
A: Harvard, duh! I almost went for undergrad but I couldn’t afford it.
S: Casual flex, huh?
A: You gotta put it in there at some point. I thought about it.. Do I want to be below average at
Harvard or above average somewhere else?
In my interview with Delegate Adkins, it was immediately clear to me that she was one
to watch, but not just because of her status as a competitor in the moot court competition. She is
a shining example of the massive concentration of potential in OIL. Only time will tell how high
she goes, but wherever she goes after school, Sydney Adkins is going to make her mark on the
world. And it isn’t going to be a small one.