Steve Schmidly Coaching Award

The Steve Schmidly Coaching Award may be presented annually to a lawyer, coach, teacher or administrator who has been instrumental to the North Carolina Mock Trial Program and more importantly, to their students, through their excellence in advocacy, coaching, and support of their school or team.

Steve Schmidly coached the Asheboro High School Mock Trial team for over 10 years. His teams won multiple state championships and competed at a national level. More importantly than the wins, Steve brought a passion and a spirit of selflessness to the young people he coached. He was a band director in a past life, before he became a lawyer, and he never lost that passion for teaching and impacting young people in a positive manner. He relished in passing on his knowledge to his students, in teaching his students not just how to present a competition, but how to think. Steve frequently spent twenty or thirty hours a week working with his students, year in and year out. He was a lawyer with a brilliant mind and boundless energy, and he loved each of the students he worked with, no matter their differences. His students have gone on to become teachers, scientists, members of the armed forces, ministers, doctors, newscasters and yes, even lawyers. Win or lose, Steve armed his students with a skillset that enabled them to become successful adults and positive contributors to society.

The North Carolina High School Mock Trial Program Board of Directors may consider a variety of factors in determining a worthy recipient, including, but not limited to selflessness, outreach to young people, impact to a school, community or program and competitive excellence. While no one factor is determinative, the Board will look to select a recipient that embodies the impact that Steve had on his students’ lives.

NOMINATIONS may be made by student team members, teacher advisors, attorney coaches, or from within the NCMTP Board of Directors. All nominations must be made in writing and submitted with the Nomination Form, along with any letters of recommendation. A committee of the NCMTP Board will review all nominations, and final determination of the award will be made by the NCMTP Board. This award may be announced and given at the NCMTP High School Mock Trial State Finals reception or other proper venue as determined by the Board.