When it comes to competing in academic case competitions, Goodman students excel at presentation delivery. They know how to work a room, control their body language and engage the judges.

So, with this year’s DECA U National and JDC Central case competitions held online, they prepared for the added challenge of presenting to a computer screen.

Each competition includes several categories, such as parliamentary debate, social challenges and sports tournaments, but the main focus is academic case competitions. Students receive scenarios that mimic real-life business situations in marketing, finance, digital strategy, human resource management and more. They have a limited amount of time to analyze the case, come up with strategic recommendations and an implementation plan, and prepare a visual presentation. Under normal circumstances, teams of one to four students would then present to a room filled with judges and spectators.

“Goodman students are well versed in the theatrics of public speaking,” said Sukhwinder Gill, Goodman DECA President, who also competed in the national championships Jan. 16 and 17. “We deliver in a way that is fuelled by confidence and wows the judges. It sets us apart from the competition. Presenting in an online environment, however, makes it harder to project energy.”

Goodman’s JDC Central team received ample support from Brock graduates, including a record 23 alumni watching the live case competition presentations.

The DECA U team prepared for their online competition through weekly training sessions and a mock competition held over the winter break. Students also practised projecting their voices and dreamed up ideas for creative visuals that would captivate judges.

Goodman’s JDCC team prepared for a similar online experience, Jan. 23 to 24, with guidance from faculty advisor Lewis Stevenson and JDCC alumni Tyler Bergey (BBA ’20) and Manvir Brar (BAcc ’20), who acted as co-captains. In addition to practising their presentation skills, the team focused on the design and content on their PowerPoint slides.

“A team’s presentation style — their cohesion and presence — can usually cover up some of the content flaws in their recommendations,” said Bergey. “But in an online environment, students end up being a tiny icon at the bottom of the screen. This made it important to fine-tune the details of our recommendations.”

Although both Goodman teams had reduced participation this year due to the online nature of the competition, they attracted an increased number of new delegates who had never participated in the competition before.

“For some of the DECA U delegates, it was their first time undertaking a case competition at all,” said Gill. “Even so, they worked hard, made their mark and finished with a strong placing.”

Goodman’s DECA U team was comprised of 50 delegates who collectively won 22 medals, including first place in debate, two academic cases, business-to-business marketing and sports and entertainment marketing.

“In regard to the ratio of delegates to medals, this was probably the best we’ve ever done,” said Gill. “Last year, we won 24 medals from 60 delegates, so we were very close to breaking Goodman’s medal count record.”

Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes is proud of the DECA U and JDCC teams for their efforts and successes at the competitions.

“I applaud the students who competed this year and represented Goodman on the national stage,” he said. “The past year has been a difficult one for many of us, yet these students showed resilience and courage to compete under unfamiliar and ever-changing circumstances. Their dedication to their personal and professional development is admirable.”

The accomplishments of the Goodman DECA U team have earned them a spot at the DECA International Career Development Conference taking place in April.

Goodman’s JDCC team of 30 finished second in both finance and marketing academic case competitions, as well as first in digital sports.

The team had a lot of support from Goodman JDCC alumni. In addition to Bergey and Brar leading the team as co-captains, a record 23 alumni watched the presentations.

“It just goes to show you how far-reaching JDCC really is,” said Brar. “There’s alumni who are two or three years removed from school who dedicated their entire day to watch how the new team is developing. It shows the family aspect within JDC.”

Bergey added, “People jump up and down screaming when the team places. It’s incredible to watch someone who has gone through the same experiences as you, who have put in all the same work that you have.”

DECA U provincials results:

The following teams received medals for their final award standings in their categories:

• First place in B2B Marketing: Liam Nowacki and Vansh Patel
• First place in Debate: Manpriya Arora, Daniel Horszynski and Manpreet Sandhu
• First place in Sports and Entertainment Marketing: Jeffery Dai and Curtis Rines
• Second place in Business Law: Riya Barot and Dhruv Shah
• Third place in Stock Pitch: Matteo Cinapri, Sehaj Deol, Daniel Horszynski and Aman Juthani

The following students received medals for placing in the Top 5 of their individual categories:

• Accounting: Gavin Kula (case 1)
• Fashion Retail Management: Melissa Rosario (case 2),
• Fashion Retail Management: Arica Oliver, third place overall
• Finance: Angelo Pirrera (case 2)
• Human Resource Management: Ashley Harold (case 2)
• Management Consulting: Sukhwinder Gill (case 1)
• Restaurant and Food Service Management: Jessica Foster (case 1)
• Restaurant and Food Service Management: Simon Denford (case 2)
• Travel Management: Manpreet Sandhu (case 2)

JDC Central Results:

• First place in Digital Sports, two tournaments: Brittany Daley, Sehaj Deol, Luis Gutierrez and James Hruska
• Second place in Marketing: Nicole Alinsod, Nikita Ganne and Jack Pevere
• Second place in Finance: Ally Berec, Cristian Nuccitelli and Angelo Pirrera