Token

A token is a physical memento, souvenir, or keepsake serving to represent or indicate some fact, event, feeling, or sign. It is a characteristic indication or mark showing evidence or proof and is used to indicate authenticity and authority. 

At least that's what the dictionary says it is.

In Magic, a token is a marker used to represent a permanent. The spell or ability that created the token may set values of the token. 

In Portland, I received a token. I'd like to tell you about it . . .

On April 16th of this year I worked my first day as a Magic judge. After a very long day working on the floor, registration, then prize wall, I sat alone taking late registrations for the Super Sunday Series, when Head Judge Sean Catanese took the time to introduce himself to me as he left the building. That moment constituted a turning point in my judge career. On the heels of a less than pleasant encounter where someone had belittled me and in my exhausted state, I struggled with my decision to become a judge. I felt like perhaps I had taken the wrong road, or that no one would ever really accept me as a judge since I was a newer player, and female too. When Sean stopped to welcome me, it changed my perspective. A man in a burgundy shirt had acknowledged me and legitimized my position as a member of the program with the simple words, "Welcome to the family!"

The next day I stood a little taller in my black judge shirt and I smiled at a few more judges hoping that they would smile back. The judge community is filled with awesome people, and by that evening I was enjoying drinks and drafting with a bunch of new friends. Little did I know that I birthed a few traditions that night and made memories that will last a lifetime. (You can read more about Albuquerque here.)

Since then I have labored to improve my craft. If you know my personality at all, you know that I strive to reach the elite tiers of any endeavor I undertake. I like to "do the thing," whatever it may be, at the highest level. I fast tracked my way to L2 just 3 months later despite my awkward beginnings as a judge. I located a mentor who could teach me the rules, and committed to weekly late night study sessions. I traveled to another GP as well as working an SCG Open, some local events, and a 1K in Austin where I tested at the HJ's home afterwards. I also threw myself into the judge community writing tournament reports, planning a regional judge conference, and working with our Area Captain on local judge meet-ups. I sought mentors who could teach me the intricacies of policy and philosophy as I broadened my views and worked more outside my region.

The culmination of my efforts came when Cascade Games asked me to serve as the Registration Lead for GP Portland. Ok, so I might have mentioned a few ideas for improving the registration process after Albuquerque. And I might have demonstrated my assertive leadership skills at Dreamhack. And I might have been completely shocked when not only did I not receive a reprimand for being presumptuous, but I was offered the opportunity to apply my skills to an actual event.

My arrival in Portland on Thursday afternoon followed an early morning with my kids, a 4 hour flight, a 3 hour drive (including a death defying dash across a street in pursuit of a chicken sandwich), and a 2 hour time change. After a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up, I headed to the venue to meet with the Cascade folks and check out the set-up. I enjoyed meeting some new faces and reconnecting with old friends as we set up and planned for an exciting weekend. The evening finished with several judges dining at a place called The Screen Door, which served comfort food in a Cracker Barrel-like atmosphere. Exhausted, we returned to the hotel where we stayed up too late chatting before crashing.

Friday I awoke early not exactly refreshed after a night of sharing a too small and not terribly comfortable bed with another judge. After a quick shower and dressing quietly to preserve the sleep of my roommates, I realized that I had no time for breakfast. I left my Starbucks order, cash, and a note on the bathroom mirror hoping that one of them would take pity on me. Upon arriving at the venue at 7am, I jumped into my work preparing for the day, greeting my team, and setting up our system. Despite some last minute craziness we got off to a good start, but were quickly overwhelmed by over 600 players showing up at 11am for the mini-masters. Throughout the day I worked hard to make appropriate changes to our system to accommodate the needs of the event and received support from the Cascade Games staff when I needed it. Towards the end of a crazy, busy, fun day I snuck out for dinner with a judge with whom I had been hoping to connect. Realizing that I hadn't eaten since my roommate's gracious Starbucks delivery that morning illuminated just how busy I had been and how much I had learned. Upon returning to my hotel, another roommate greeted me with a glass of wine and I enjoyed their company until I fell asleep.

Saturday proved to be another long but amazing day working with my awesome registration team. Those folks worked so hard that I treated them to Starbucks, twice! I wish I could have done more because their efforts made a crazy day manageable and fun. Despite the stresses of a large event with multiple demands to balance, I felt proud that I could lead my team effectively, communicate with my supervisors, and generally make things happen. While I'll skip the details that only a true logistics nerd (ok, yes, me) would love, I will says that I was able to manage my staff through trading/sharing with another team lead, I devised solutions to complicated problems by allowing others to shine in areas of expertise, and I never lost that personal connection with the people on my team.

Sometime on Saturday I found myself on the stage with Sean Catanese, who I had not spoken to since that day in Albuquerque. Since I knew this was his final GP to Head Judge, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank him for welcoming me on my first day as on the floor. Our brief chat ended with an interruption, but the interaction made me happy after being able to thank him in person.

Back at the hotel that night, my feet hurt too bad to even move. Luckily my Starbucks-deliveing roommate was willing to order us a pizza and go pick up some beer. Also luckily, I managed to stay awake long enough to consume a slice before falling asleep.

Sunday brought a calmer day at registration, still filled with exciting challenges and opportunities to develop my management skills. Conflict resolution and decision making skills occasions abounded when unexpected events occurred. Feeling my own confidence grow as the Cascade Games staff demonstrated their trust in me also seemed a fitting end to the weekend. Since registration closed before most of the rest of the event, my day even ended a bit early allowing me a few extra minutes to relax with judge friends that night.

Sometime during the afternoon, Sean sought me out and pulled me aside. While I wish I could remember his exact words, my overwhelmed brain cannot, so the thought will have to suffice. He told me that my comments the day before had meant a lot to him. He also gave me a poker chip about 1.5 inches in diameter and bearing a white mana symbol on its face. He explained that he was handing them out to judges throughout the weekend. As its weight settled into my hand, I felt the weight of the moment as well. A senior judge in the program had passed on to me a token, setting its value as excellence in judging.

Once again, Sean had used a simple interaction to convey a message of great depth. He recognized my contributions to the judge program, affirmed my role as a judge, and boosted my confidence, all in a 2-3 minute conversation. The beauty and talent in his leadership both impressed me and inspired me to look for ways to do the same for other judges.

Now that token resides in my pocket when I'm on the floor. Each time I feel its weight or brush it with my hand it serves as a reminder to encourage other judges. I'm sure that one day, the time will come to pass that precious token along to a judge who needs it more than me, but in the meantime, I it will remind me to continue sharing Sean's message that 'you are valued' with judges that I encounter.