Judging with Your Spouse: A tournament report of sorts

A bit of backstory

A few weeks ago I passed my L1 test. The same day my wonderful husband passed his L2 test. We are both very excited to be able to judge together, but it also brings up some interesting questions when working together at events. My judge mentor and I discussed some aspects, but we found that very little has been written about judging with those who are close to you (best friend, roommate, significant other, person you are dating). My goal with this tournament report is to provide you with some insights based on our first event working together.

The application

I noted a solicitation on JudgeApps in which a local store was seeking a HJ and FJ for a PPTQ. Neither of us had worked with this TO before, and we both decided to apply.  We applied separately and did not mention one another in our applications.  Either of us would have been willing to work whether or not the other was selected.

Tip: If you want to work together, say so.  Don't leave a TO guessing.

When the TO contacted my husband to HJ, he immediately asked about me since we share a last name.  My husband told him that yes we are married and would be happy to both work his event, but that we handle our own judge agreements. This lead to some awkward texts between me and the TO where he repeated to me a bunch of things I had already heard from my husband.

Tip: Make it easy on your TO; have 1 of you serve as the point person for negotiations.

After that, we let my husband handle our communications and things smoothed out.

The day of the tournament

The day of the tournament we rode together.  This could be dangerous if something unexpected happens such as a flat tire or traffic jam. I know that many judges carpool and extenuating circumstances can occur unexpectedly, but hiring a couple to judge is certainly 'putting all your eggs in one basket' for a TO.

Tip: Take extra precautions to be prepared, leave early, and know of a backup judge you can call in case of a catastrophe.

My husband and I met while leading a World of Warcraft guild together.  I was the Guild Leader; he was the Raid Leader. So we have some experience working together and separating the personal and the professional.  In front of the players we never mentioned our relationship and in his HJ announcement, he introduced us using only our first names.  Many of the local grinders know us already, so it's not really a secret, just something that we don't make a big deal about.  We already work well together and know how our strengths and weaknesses overlap, so it provides a strong unified front to the players when we work together as judges.

Tip: Don't make your relationship a part of the event, but don't hide it either.

My husband and I had our 'judges meeting' in the car on the way to the event. Since it was my first time working with him as my HJ, he outlined his specific goals for the event and the duties he preferred me to focus on. He asked me to watch for slow play and to ensure that players near the end of rounds turn in their slips promptly to ensure that rounds end in a timely manner. He asked me to be the first point of contact for players who call a judge during play in order to preserve the chain of appeals. He also outlined our deck check procedures and how he wanted to run the Top 8.

Tip: Make sure that you both have the same expectations for your respective roles. Those roles may or may not correlate to the roles you each normally fill in your non-judge lives.

Swiss rounds

We had 31 players (mostly the local grinder crowd), so we played 5 rounds of swiss. During play, things went really well. As a new judge, I took a lot of basic floor calls. (After all my studying for the L1, I was surprised how straightforward most calls actually were.)  As time allowed, I reviewed each call with my husband afterwards to confirm my rulings and to ensure that he knew of potential problems before they arose.  He demonstrated how he likes penalties to be noted and set the tone he wanted us to use with players.

Tip: Communicate often - just like you would with any other judge.

Deck checks
We planned to do deck checks at the beginning of several of the swiss rounds. I handled the decklists. After the player meeting I alphabetized them, and checked over them when I had time between rounds.  During the second round, he selected a random table, told me the number, then swooped.  I pulled the decklists and had them waiting at the station when he returned with the decks. We had agreed to use the Polish method and it worked well. When a judge call came, we had predetermined that I would answer it, so I dropped the deck and went. Luckily it was fast!  We finished the checks with no problems and an 8 minute time extension.

While reviewing the decklists I noted that a player had registered 64 cards in his deck, but written 60 as the total number of cards. His deck included 13 plains, but due to his handwriting I initially read is at 17, thus listing 68 cards on the decklist. After some close scrutiny the HJ and I agreed that it was a 13, but due to the 64 cards decided to target his table for a deck check in round 3. My husband swooped again while I pulled his opponent's decklist. The deck ended up having the correct 64 cards, so we spoke with the player about the situation and issued no penalty.

We also recruited the TO and our scorekeeper to join us in deck checking the entire Top 8.

Top 8

Our Top 8 cut yielded a field of regular grinders who knew each other well. Since we have played and traveled to events with many of these guys, maintaining our role as judges was important.  My husband had to remind them about their language, but he also overlooked some minor jokes. During a quarterfinal, another player whose match had ended started to discuss sideboarding strategies with a player still competing. I quickly put a stop to that until after the match. (Note: He mentioned a hypothetical situation against a different deck, not the game in progress, so I did not consider it OA.)

Tip: Be conscious of the level of professionalism you want for your event.  It is easy to let things get too casual with people you know well.

Conclusion

After the event the TO thanked us and handed me our compensation. He stated that he would love to have us back again. We pointed out that we would enjoy working for him again, together or separately as his needs dictate. While working with my spouse was fun, during the event it really felt much like working with anyone else. Since we both enjoy judging, it's a great way to spend a day together with our friends in the player community.

Tip: Don't forget to have fun when you work together.

Welcome to the family!

A bit of backstory

I certified as a judge 6 days before I was on staff at Grand Prix Albuquerque.  I applied 3 months in advance and was (not surprisingly) declined.  While saddened, I understood and decided to attend as a player instead.

Eight days before the event I received the following e-mail from Kyle Knudson, the judge manager:

Hey Erin,
We had some Judges drop out and I was hoping we could have you on Staff instead of playing.  I know it's pretty close to the event, but if you are still interested let me know.
Thanks :)

Now I'm not the girly type, but I think I may have actually giggled when I read that message.  I might have also jumped from my chair and preformed a most unladylike dance.  Then I had to settle down and write a chill response like "Sure, ok, I guess I can do it if you really need me; I don't mind too much." Then it hit me: he asked ME. Not my husband, the soon-to-be L2 (who would have probably been a much wiser choice). I verified this fact with my husband, and we both chuckled at the fact that I was staffed at a GP before him.

The fact that I HAD to pass my L1 exam in 2 days also hit me like a ton of bricks. As if re-testing at the Judge Conference in front of everyone wasn't bad enough!
Note: To read about my L1 tests, click Failed or Passed.

My husband was added to the GP staff as well, and thanks to a lot of great judges who helped us along the way, we both passed our exams at the conference.  As the week progressed, another local judge, Jim Shuman, was activated and he became an addition to our room.  While we drove to Albuquerque on Thursday, we got a call from another last minute addition, and Ben Quasnitschka joined our crew. He caught rides along to way to meet up with us at the event.  I drove the 10 hours on Thursday, and we made great time, arriving in Albuquerque to enjoy dinner at the Frontier Diner and got settled in our cozy room.

Friday 

Friday we embarked on a reconnaissance mission to scout out the event.  We had an awesome shuttle ride over with artist Steve Argyle's wife Kat, and we helped unload the items for his booth.  My husband and I found this to be especially cool since a large piece of his artwork serves as the focal point of the decor in our study at home.


Then, we spent the day at the venue scoping things out in preparation for our first day of work.  We met Dawna the accountant, signed our paperwork, and picked up our compensation.  I did find it interesting that we were paid before we even owned a judge shirt, but I guess we judges engender a certain level of trust. (Either that or everyone just knows that we love what we do so much that we would never no-show.)

We introduced ourselves to our team leads, found out where we would be working, and received our judge shirts.  So I had asked for an XL . . . little did I know it was a ladies cut.  Let's just say that I'm not exactly a 'ladies cut.'  I ended up with a men's cut 2XL that fit a bit like a tent, but on the plus side, it would fit pretty much anyone.

We also played mini-masters and a draft, just to scratch the 'player' itch that never truly leaves most judges.  I set a personal record by making it to round 3 of mini-masters.  We walked to a local sushi bar for lunch with a friend, and had a New Mexican dinner at a local place called Las Cuates where we dined with a bunch of judges.  We attempted to put our excitement on hold and went to bed at a reasonable hour.

A glance into our closet made me smile. Crisp black judge shirts and pressed black slacks filled its hangers. Comfortable black shoes lined the floor.  Ben started singing, "I've got a lov-e-ly bunch of judge shoes. Do-do-do-do There they are just standing in a row . . ."

Saturday

I couldn't sleep! Not that I'm a great sleeper to begin with, but the anticipation (and possibly the nachos from dinner) kept me up all night. Ben's alarm went off at 5:30, a leftover from the previous weekend's judge conference.  Jim's went off at 5:57 - early shift! After Jim, I got up and showered and joined him for breakfast.  In the lobby we saw a parade of judges, mostly high level ones. All the folks in black pants and black shoes either wearing a hoodie or a T-shirt were clearly my soon-to-be co-workers. Since the shuttle was full, Jim agreed to drive his personal car and take judges to work.  I joined him on his last trip over and arrived at the convention center about 8:30.

My schedule for the day placed me at the registration desk beginning at noon, and after registration ended for the day I would move to the prize wall until the evening's last event concluded.  I felt lucky to have been selected for the extended shift but a little disappointed that I would have to wait 3 long hours to get started.

I offered to shadow in Jim's morning event just to get in some floor experience.  What an experience it was!  Due to a miscommunication, I loaned my judge shirt to another judge who forgot his, planning to have my husband bring over a replacement shirt from Jim's closet before my shift started. Good thing we all wear the same size!

Since I was there early, I observed the setup for a side event from checking out the room to obtaining product.  I was grateful to Adena's list of things to bring, as the scissors, sticky notes, and sharpies came in handy!

Another judge asked Jim, "Is she one of yours?" to which Jim replied, "No, but she's a grandbaby judgeling." Jim certified my mentor, Josh McCurley. How funny to hear that 'judge family trees' are well known in the community.  I felt so proud that Jim claimed me as a product of his teachings.

As the players started to arrive, I truly felt the role of a judge settle on my shoulders.  Players treated me with that standoffish level of respect and called me ma'm.  They asked a lot of questions - but they were all easy.  "What time does the event start?" "Where is the restroom?" "Can I use my own basic lands?"  Nothing like the crazy scenarios judges ask each other. While I was supposed to be a shadow, the players didn't know that, and Jim certainly didn't treat me like one, so I stepped into character and answered their questions with a smile.  I enjoyed these initial interactions and realized that I was setting the tone for the event with my approachable demeanor. I wanted them to know that judges are there to help and would be happy to interact with them no matter their need.

When the event began, I joined Jim in watching the players and a nearby hand shot up as a player called, "judge."  Jim nudged me and we walked to the table and greeted them.  Andy explained that he had mistakenly cast an instant spell on his own turn as if it were a sorcery spell. A quick mental check of the game state, life totals, board state, and players' attitudes revealed that nothing else was going on and it was a straightforward call. I looked to Jim and he said, "Make your ruling." (Me? Me? My brain screamed! I get to make a ruling. A real ruling on the floor of a side event at a real GP. OMG!) I looked at Andy and explained that while I understood his situation and that it was not the way he would have liked to play it, he had cast the spell legally and that it would remain cast. I was not 100% sure that my ruling was correct, but since my Head Judge was standing next to me, I hoped that he would consult with me if necessary.  I really appreciated Jim letting me make that call, supporting my decision, and debriefing me privately afterwards.

I took a few more calls, and learned a few more things.  I got teased by a player when I didn't have a pen in my pocket.  Darn it!  I had specifically purchased new, multi-color pens perfect for deck checks, and then left them in my bag at the front of the room rather than putting one in my pocket. Rookie mistake - easy fix.

Midway through the round, Jim sent me to fetch coffee for himself and another judge.  A third judge requested a drink from upstairs and on my way out I added my team lead's water bottle to refill.  I laughed all the way to Starbucks about the cliche-ness of sending me to fetch coffee at my first big event. I carefully ordered and labeled each drink (yay sharpies!) paying attention to detail in even this task. Details are what make the difference in most cases. When I returned, I dropped off the beverages and it was time to transition to my work at the registration desk.

While I was a bit disappointed to be staffed in a non-judge role, I completely understand the logic of not assigning a new, not even certified at the time of application, person to work the floor. Also, I indicated in my application that I could "rock registration" and that "there will be no line." So I set out to make that happen! Joe Sapp, my team lead, turned out to be amazing and his people-first mentality really resonated with me. The two ladies with whom I worked proved to be excellent teachers and I soon mastered my tasks.

I spent most of the next 7 hours registering players for scheduled side events.  I enjoyed the interactions and being able to help. For the most part the players were awesome, looking for a fun experience, sharing jokes, and enjoying themselves. Some of them came back several times, so we discussed how they had fared in each event. My team lead sent me on multiple breaks and took great care of all his staff.

During my dinner break, I relaxed in the judge room munching a granola bar.  Then several guys bounded in and announced that it was time for the judge picture.  I grabbed my shirt and quickly buttoned and tucked as I followed them up the stairs. We all convened on a large staircase in a massive sea of black. A player jokingly asked if he could take a picture with us.  I loved seeing the judges respond by playing along with this man's idea and snapping some hilarious shots. The number of hugs, high fives, and greetings gave it a party atmosphere.  When the burgundy shirted Head Judges arrived, we took a few pictures, and then dispersed like a hive of black bees buzzing off to our work. Someone gave a high-five and said, "You're it!"

I returned to registration and got back to work.  A hour or so later, Joe Klopchic, the judge who started my husband into judging before me, walked by to pass along the high-five. What a fun way to make someone smile! David Hibbs, a local L3 who attended as a player dropped by to give me periodic updates on his play in the main event as well. Then Trevor Nunez came by with Jim. Meeting Trevor was a treat because he's in our regional USA South Slack judge chat and he had spent the last 2 months helping me study for my L1 exam. The community feel of being a part of a GP staff really helped me get past the first day jitters and preform at my best.

When registration closed, I moved to the prize wall. While it sounded fun, it proved to be quite a challenge for me.  Since I had no experience with the prize wall set-up and am new-ish to the Magic community, I found myself unable to answer most players' questions about items' cost or contents. Basically a player and I would start talking, but I could not find what they needed or inform them about our products.  I felt useless. Friendly, willing to help, and useless. Luckily they decided to reopen registration for the Super Sunday Series. Many of my players from earlier events came by to sign up and I was back to doing what I did well.

At some point, a few of the judges still on the floor ordered pizza. They sent a representative to the prize wall to ascertain our pizza preferences, but gave no additional information. About an hour later, we were summoned to grab a slice.  While the order turned out to be woefully small, it included a special gluten free veggie pizza.  Each judge received exactly one piece, but no one took extra until every judge in the building had been located and served a slice. There's something about pizza that just brings a team together.

Around 11:30 as we were closing the registrations I noted a flash of burgundy as Sean Catanese, a Head Judge, walked out of the main hall. He looked tired and I know he had been working hard all day. I offered him a smile.  He walked over and introduced himself to me and thanked me for the work I was doing. He asked where I was from and mentioned that he had not met me.  When I stated that I was newly certified and this was my first time on staff he reached out to shake my hand and said, "Welcome to the family!"  At that point in a long day, those words meant everything to me.

I worked the prize wall for a while longer, and then helped break it down along with my husband who had been working the last match of the last event at the end of the day.  When we left at 1am we were literally the last judges out of the building. I am so grateful for Jim driving over to get us since our hotel's last shuttle left hours before.


We returned to our room, thankful for a fridge full of leftovers and roommates who waited up for us. We debriefed about the day, all swapping stories of our calls, both good and bad. Finally, around 2am, we crawled into our beds and drifted off.

Sunday

My insomnia continued and I was awake by 5am.  After 45 minutes of lying in bed not-sleeping, I gave up and took a long hot shower.  I dressed in my judge kit, grabbed my laptop, and headed downstairs for breakfast. A cup of hot chocolate and a breakfast biscuit later, I greeted many staff members and judges as they came down for breakfast.  One of the earliest was John Carter from Cascade Games who I had met the day before.  I smiled inwardly at the number of names I remembered and a roommate's mention of the "L3 parade."

Back at work, I spent a long day having a blast at registration.  My husband and I managed to take dinner breaks at the same time and met up with our roommate Jim and an L2 from Oklahoma named Joni Bailey.  We shared stories over gyros and left feeling refreshed.

Since registration had closed, I needed to speak with Kyle to receive my next assignment.  Much to my surprise, Jim accompanied me and asked if I could help him on the floor. Wow! Jim is the best! Kyle agreed and Jim assigned me to a 2 Headed Giant event where I worked with its Head Judge until it ended at 10:30ish.

My husband and I got off at the same time and decided to head over to the judge party and hang out with our friends.  We sat down with Jamie Brown (who I had taught to play Magic that morning) and her husband. Soon the Cascade guys arrived with some draft product and we quickly formed a pod for some more fun.  I enjoyed my first team draft, and even beat my husband (a rare occurrence!).

Earlier in the day, I had met a judge testing for his L1.  Since I was the newest judge around, I told him that I would buy him a drink later if he would take that title from me. Well, he passed, so he, my husband, our roommate Ben, and I enjoyed a drink together. What a great feeling of getting to repeat those words, "Welcome to the family!"

Passed

Since you already know the backstory (if not read Failed!), and I'm sure you guessed the result by the title of this post, I'll skip the announcement and cut right to the fun part.  The story of how it came about. The truth is, it was a group effort. I could not have passed that test without the support of a bunch of L2s, so here it is, a list of the most important things they said to me.

Jason Daniels: Our job is to make sure players play legally, not to make sure they play well.
As I contemplated preparing to be a Magic judge, I believed that I would first need to become an accomplished player.  I thought that I would need to be able to educate players on the proper plays in various situations and serve as a sort of 'coach' to new players. Since I was a new player myself, I had a long way to go towards that end. However, Jason explained that our role as judges is to ensure that players make legal choices and follow the rules. That makes the game fair and fun for everyone. Our job is not to help them actually play; their own skill will be needed for that. We serve as neutral arbitrators to help players with difficult situations and provide them a resource for resolving problems.
Thanks Jason for taking the time to chat with me at that GPT and open the door for me to become a judge.

David Carroll: I think it's fair to say I liked you from the start.
I played my first game of Legacy ever with a deck David let me borrow.  I also got my first penalty ever with a decklist David gave me.  Afterwards he taught me an important lesson: always verify your own decklist.  While he did apologize, he did not take responsibility. And he's right.  My deck and decklist are my responsibility, and I tried to take the lazy road and turn in the one he handed me sight unseen.  In every interaction with David, he has pushed me to be a little bit better.  Correcting my terminology in Slack, providing feedback on my cover letter, pointing out the 1 question I missed as room for improvement. David liked me enough to never let me settle for less than top tier.
Thanks David for holding me to the highest standards.

Jim Shuman: When are you taking your L1 test?
Jim walked up to me in the middle of a match at the Hunter Burton Memorial Magic Open and asked me that. I struggled to figure out how to play while having that conversation.  Ok, I struggled to play anyway, but trying to talk and play . . . almost impossible.  But when Jim walked away, my opponent looked at me in semi-awe and said, "You're a judge?"  I had wanted to judge that exact event, but couldn't because I failed my certification test. Playing in the event while my friends judged made that stand out to me even more. Jim helped me realize that while I'm not actually a certified judge yet, I am a member of the judge community and have the support of other judges.
Thanks Jim for giving me that boost of acceptance and encouragement when my frustration level was the highest.

Antonio Zanutto: You can't do math while running from a lion.
The night before my L1 test, coincidentally also the day I met Antonio, he was helping me study.  We stayed up late going over scenarios and I expressed my nervousness.  He explained that I would need to relax enough to think clearly while taking the test.  His poignant way of stating such a pragmatic fact really struck a chord with me and made me smile during the actual test.
Thanks Antonio for the last minute advice that made all the difference.

Josh McCurley: You ARE a judge. 
I don't think either Josh or I want to count the exact number of times he made that statement to me. After I failed my first L1 exam I fought the urge to give up.  Magic is a complicated game and maybe learning the rules was too much for me. I was also frustrated that my plans for judging upcoming events had been changed.  That I had learned some things wrong and needed to re-learn them.  That I'm a girl in a man's world of judging. That my husband was better than me - lots better.  Josh was there to talk me off that ledge-several times.  He offered me a listening ear, late night jokes, and answers to all of my million questions. No matter how upset I got, he was the level-headed one who reminded me that even at L0, I was a judge. He showed me a multitude of ways to get involved in the program and offered his name as a reference, and little by little, I stepped out of my box and into my new role.
Thanks Josh for all the good conversations and for never letting me lose sight of my goal.

Brian Leonard: I'm proud of you baby.
My husband, the L2. While it was a roller coaster of a ride, sometimes filled with frustration, jealousy, tears, or long study sessions, there is no one I would have rather been with than you.  You were the first person to support my goal, and you put up with me through the good times and the bad. You shared your knowledge while still allowing me to chart my own (albeit rocky) path. You never gave in to my fits of frustration, and you never let me win unless I was right.  The night I won my first rules debate against you was a turning point for me and since then you have let me build up a belief in myself.
Thanks baby for loving me, supporting me, and sharing this journey with me!


I'd also like to add a few quick "thank yous":
 . . . to Chris as Area 51 for letting me help with some FNMs.
 . . . to L2 Preston May, the guy who saw me fail and saw me pass, and encouraged me both times.
 . . . to Jessica Livingston, Mitchell Nitz, Trevor Nunez, Steve Wise, and all of the #trainingroom crew.