Lessons from Levine

During the course of a Grand Prix weekend, any individual floor judge is unlikely to have a lot of meaningful interactions with the Head Judge, however at GP Dallas/Fort Worth, several situations led me to work directly with Head Judge Eric Levine.

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A player called me asking for a time extension due to being legally blind. The player appeared to be playing without any other accommodations. I had taken a call from this player in a previous round and had noted a time extension on the match slip, but had not further inquired. A quick investigation revealed that at the beginning of each round, he called a judge and requested an extension, which the judge granted. Unsure of how to handle the situation, I asked the player to wait a moment while I asked the Head Judge about the appropriate time extension.

Eric responded by saying that while we make reasonable accommodations for players with disabilities, we could not offer blanket time extensions each round. The potential impact on the tournament of those extensions is too large. He took the time to explain his reasoning to me carefully, then asked if I was comfortable explaining that to the player. My trepidation stemmed from the fact that the player had received them each previous round, but I appreciated Eric's confidence in me as well as his taking my comfort level into account. I agreed to handle the explanation and to my surprise Eric remained nearby while I did so. He ensured that I had the support I needed for what could have been a contentious player interaction, but he allowed me to complete the call I had taken, building both my credibility with the player and my confidence.

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On Saturday I served on Steven Briggs' pairings team. He assigned me the task of waiting next to the printer and catching the sheets as they printed, then handing each letter range to a waiting judge for posting. To accomplish this task, I stood on the edge of the stage facing a sea of judges at the beginning of each round. As we awaited round 4's pairings, L3 John Carter, the logistics team lead, hopped up onto the stage and yelled at the assembled judges about putting match slips in their pockets at the end of rounds. His explosive outburst left the assembled staff and the players behind them shocked, to say the least. My unique perspective from the corner of the stage showed me expressions of bewilderment, anger, fear, confusion, and remorse. Eric calmly walked up behind Carter mid-tirade. As Carter sensed his presence, he stopped and Eric quietly said, "Carter, we need to talk." A quirky grin on Carter's face followed by a "Yep!" demonstrated that Carter knew he had overstepped his bounds. He quickly followed Eric off the back of the stage.

Eric's handling of the incident demonstrated several things about his leadership. He observed, and quickly assessed the situation. His first priority was to get the event back on track. Next, he trusted his people. When he left with Carter, he didn't feel the need to issue instructions to his team leads or make an announcement to the staff as a whole. He simply handled the incident and let everyone else continue doing their jobs. Finally, he criticized in private. I don't actually know what was said, but since Carter issued a public apology before the next round, I'll assume that Eric didn't condone Carter's initial approach. Overall, Eric was clearly in control of the situation, but used a low-key manner to diffuse the tension and move things along.

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While sweeping for slips, I took a call from two obviously agitated players. Alex was searching a library and showed me that the openings of the sleeves did not all face in the same direction. After a few quick questions I learned the library belonged to Neal and Alex had cast Pithing Needle. I took the deck and looked through it noting that there did not seem to be a pattern to the upside down cards and it appeared that the deck had been mash-shuffled. Alex continued to hint that he thought Neal was cheating, that Neal had done it on purpose, etc. Neal, clearly annoyed at Alex, snapped back after several of Alex's comments. Seeing the obvious tension at the table and knowing the round would end in a moment, when Alex said that I should get the Head Judge, I agreed.

Despite the fact that I hadn't finished delivering a ruling, the situation was escalating fast, time was short, and it looked like I would be getting Eric one way or another. Luckily, another judge walked by sweeping for slips and I quickly stopped her and asked her to watch the table. On my way to fetch Eric, I dropped off the match slips she and I had collected with another judge who took them to the stage. Eric saw me approaching purposefully and he immediately joined me on the walk back to the table. I explained the situation as we went, and he chastised me for not completing my ruling.

At the table he looked at the library in question, then turned to the players. He explained to them that their behavior towards me had been inappropriate and that he had found the exact same thing that I had. He quickly corrected the cards in the library and instructed the players to resume playing. Alex demanded to finish searching the library.

By this point, time in the round had ended. Their match slip showed the players already had a previous time extension. Alex took his pen and lifepad and began writing notes about Neal's deck. He rudely asked Eric how much extra time they would receive. Eric let him know that he would not have enough time to write the entire contents of the library and encouraged him to move the match along. As play resumed, Alex and Neal continued to snipe at one another making pointed comments about minute details. Alex, clearly angling, queried, "How much of a time extension do we get for this?" Eric pulled out his phone, set a timer, dropped it on the table next to Alex and stated flatly, "You have 5 minutes." Alex looked to Eric and sneered, "Can we get a table judge for the rest of the match?" Eric and stood a bit taller looked right at him, and put his hands on his hips saying, "I'm not going anywhere." I could feel the switch flip and that Eric had reached his nonsense-limit. He didn't need yelling or threats to convey his displeasure, his presence spoke for itself. Neal mostly quieted down to continue the match, but Alex grumbled a bit more. Eric's proximity seemed to quell things enough that the match could proceed. After five minutes and five painfully long turns a member of the EOR team grabbed the slip and took off.

Eric and I walked back to the stage together at a good clip. He looked at me and said, "You were right to come and get me when you did." Surprised, I turned and he continued, "That wasn't going to stop." On some level I had sensed that at the table, but to hear the HJ validate my decision made me stand a little taller.

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During round 9, I wondered if we should do something to prepare the pairings boards for the following day. With this being my first time on a pairings team, I was unsure of all the tasks for which our team was responsible, so I asked Briggs. He directed me to ask Eric. Eric thought about my query for a moment, then he asked the other pairings team lead to join us. Our trio relocated the pairings boards and prepared them to post the next day's player lists which would be printed after round 9.

What struck me about Eric in this interaction is that he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty; he grabbed a board and began dragging it into position. He balanced his role as a HJ with the concept that we're all responsible for the needs of the event. An appeal claimed him for a bit, but he later returned to verify that our task had been completed. Seeing him work alongside us reminded me that while each person has a specific role, at the end of the day, the we're all on the same team and share the same goals.

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Towards the end of the weekend I approached Eric to thank him for being so accessible. I noted that his presence on the floor had made finding a burgundy shirt fast and easy. He thanked me for the feedback, then pointed out that Appeals Judge Jeff Morrow had been the source of their accessibility and asked me to let Jeff know that I appreciated it. He balanced accepting my feedback and giving credit to the proper person.

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To close out the event Eric gathered us all for a final debrief. He thanked us for our work and reminded us to share feedback with judges with whom we had worked. Later, while looking at my notes, I realized that the person for whom I had the most feedback was Eric himself, so I followed his directive and wrote him a review.

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Five

She played her first sanctioned Magic event today. She's only ever played at home before, with her family. She's been in a few shops and knows a few local players, but not very well.  She was nervous, but excited. She played 2 Headed-Giant. She went 2-1.

Her story is that of so many players.  Starting at the kitchen table with a brother, a friend, or a classmate. Playing a bit here and there when the opportunity presents itself. Not really knowing the rules, but learning by following what the other players do. Making misplays, having fun, not worrying too much about the outcome. Occasionally going in a shop to hang out with a friend or buy some cards, but never staying long.

Then, one day, it happens: the transition to organized play. Walking into a store and up to the counter to sign up for the first time constitutes a monumental step for some players. I watched her tremble a little as she handed over the credit card, and she looked a little confused when she received her prerelease pack, but overall she handled it well.

Then she walked to the play area where several players sat at a table chatting. She carefully selected a seat at the end of the table, near enough to hear the conversation, but not quite in the middle of the action. A player greeted me and I introduced her to the guys. While she seemed unsure, they all readily said hello and accepted her as a player.

Her partner arrived for the 2HG event and he joined her at the table. She handed him his pack and he pulled out her deckbox. They immediately set to discussing strategy. Then the TO came and officially started the event. Luckily her partner, a seasoned veteran, led her through the deckbuilding process. She managed to make her way through the event with the guidance of her partner and her opponents.

Seeing how well the community received her makes me proud to be a Magic judge. Players didn't question her gender, her age, or her experience, they just played Magic with her. When she didn't want to shake hands or fist bump (she's not a physical person), they didn't question her.  They just accepted her for who she is and how she is and welcomed her into the community.

I'm proud to say that today, my daughter's 5th birthday, she is officially a card carrying member of the DCI and the Magic community as a whole.

Big thanks to everyone at Collected TCU for welcoming her today!

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.

Exemplar

Today I received an amazing surprise! I received an exemplar nomination from someone I have never met. Upon doing a bit of research I realized that we have never worked an event together, have no mutual friends that I know of, and don't even live in the same country. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

Why, then would this person nominate me?

For writing "Judge Reports."

While I don't necessary consider tournament report writing exemplary because most judges have written one at one time or another, I do consider it something I'm passionate about. I love judging; I love writing; and I love writing about judging. Even more than that, I love knowing that my writing about judging has had a positive impact on someone else. 

While the main goal of this blog is for me to have a place to put my thoughts as I organize them and process my experiences, I have opted to make it public so that others can share those experiences as well. Maybe we have things in common? Maybe we approach things completely differently? Maybe something I wrote will help you out at your next event? Maybe we'll have a discussion later about something you read?

The idea that my simple prose contributes positively to the judge community really excites me. Judges love helping each other - me included! And being able to do it through a channel that I'm passionate about is even better!

So in short, a huge thanks to everyone who reads my blog and my JudgeApps forum posts.  I appreciate you letting me be a part of your judge journey and I'm glad that you are a part of mine.

Also want to give a special shout out to the Exemplar Team. You guys do great and often thankless work implementing this program and you are appreciated too!

Note: While receiving this nomination was cool, now that it's been done, it need not be repeated.

Q&A with the HJ

On August 6th I worked my first "mid-sized event." We had 203 players and 8 judges. So I've worked some GPs with huge staffs and tons of sides, and I've judged small GPTs and PPTQs, but this was my first 'medium' experience. I've pondered some of the issues a Head Judge faces at this type of event and have come up with the following reflections.

The day's start inspired hopes for great things. We started on time and the SK brought doughnuts and kolaches! He then demonstrated putting a kolache in the pocket of his judge shirt for easy access later making our whole team laugh. Such a great group of guys!

Finding a way to cover all the event's needs without the manpower to create true teams comprises one of the Head Judge's challenges. Our HJ opted to use the Taskmaster System. I had never encountered this system previously, and to be honest, I didn't like it. He assigned a judge to be in charge of each task, and that judge's responsibility included getting the task done by locating available judges to do it. While simply asking others to help made sense, in reality few were available and willing when the need arose. Since most of our team had little experience working together, we lacked both the personal chemistry and the understanding of one another’s roles to effectively employ this method. It felt awkward and unorganized to me.

An example: In my role as slips taskmaster, I needed to ensure the distribution of match slips at the start of each round. The SKs printed these a few minutes after each round began. At previous events, my SKs had used multi-print to produce slips with the pairings, so my expectation of earlier slips often led to me hanging around the paper cutter awaiting my slips. I likely could have waited until pairings posted, and then head to the judge station, however I did not want to appear late or unavailable when the time came to complete my task. Also, the HJ had asked another judge to take the slips off the printer and hand them to me. Neither of us really understood this request, and we joked about it each round as he handed them to me. As far as actually passing them out: Some rounds, three judges grabbed slips. Some rounds no one was ready, so I handled them solo. When I asked the HJ to pass out slips, he griped, and I wondered if I’d done something wrong.

My frustrations built throughout the day, but after some serious debriefing with the HJ, I have a much better understanding of this system. He carefully explained the reasoning behind each of his decisions as well as where he felt like he could improve his implementation of the process. After that conversation I am eager to try it again. Moral of the story: If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask. Sometimes veteran HJs don't realize that a new person will need a more detailed explanation.

Backup? Amir and Niko call me to the table during combat. The board state clearly shows declared attackers, however both players insist that an activated Gideon should have a +1/+1 counter on it from Nissa's second ability. My initial thought was, 'easy fix, here's your counter,' but I knew that such a partial fix is not supported by policy. The idea of a backup came to me next - just go back, add the counter, and then redeclare the attackers. I asked the players to wait, and sought the HJ's approval. When I explained what I wanted to do, he quickly authorized me to do it. I returned to the table and explained the fix to both players, who happily started to back things up on the board. I stopped them so that we could walk back through it step-by-step when they began telling me all the things that had happened at the beginning of combat including flipping a morphed Den Protector and sacrificing a creature to an Evolutionary Leap. I instantly realized that this backup signaled an imminent disaster. I returned to the HJ and relayed that due to additional information from the players I no longer wished to perform the backup. He again supported my decision. I informed the players that too much had happened to back up, so the board state would remain as it was. I did issue a GRV and a FtMGS for the missed counter and the game resumed. The moral of the story: No matter how much you may want to 'fix' the game state, sometimes that's not possible. And my judge lesson: Ask better questions before reaching a conclusion.

My first appeal. Nick called me to the table and stated that he was controlling Avery's turn due to Emrakul's ability. He wanted to cast a Spell Queller and use its triggered ability to target itself. I picked up the Spell Queller and read it just to be sure of how the ability's wording read, then I explained that he would not be able to do that. Since it is a triggered ability, it would not trigger until after the Spell Queller resolves and enters the battlefield, thus at that time Spell Queller would no longer be a spell on the stack and therefore not a legal target for the triggered ability. It seemed to me to be a relatively straightforward call, so my surprise must have been evident when Nick politely appealed. I marched with purpose to the HJ, who busily conversed with another judge. I remembered my training and opted to interrupt since appeals are time sensitive. When I approached he said, "You look like you have an appeal." I replied affirmatively and explained the situation as we walked to the table. The HJ introduced himself to the players and confirmed my ruling, which they readily accepted. The whole thing felt rather anticlimactic to me. An appeal of a straightforward ruling with no issues and happy players. Well, I guess that's how it's supposed to go.

Randomizing the last round. As we approached the end of the Swiss rounds, I overheard the TO ask the SK if she knew how to randomize the final round of Swiss. My ears perked up as this made no sense to me. Wouldn't randomizing the last round effectively destroy the standings? Afraid to ask, I watched and waited as the round began. Since my role cutting slips kept me at the scorer's table, I observed as a judge went through the pairings and marked relevant matches, and then assigned judges to watch those tables. I finally realized that the pairings were not adjusted, just the seatings. Clearly intended to reduce the impact of players watching one another to see who plays and who draws, it seemed to add confusion to the situation as well. I can't say I particularly liked the idea, but I can understand its purpose, and I'll keep an open mind when I see it again.

Questionable call. As Amos and Nathan entered game 3, Nathan realized that he only had 59 cards and called a judge. After noting that they had matching sleeves, I quickly located the card in Amos's deck. Realizing that this situation called for a D/DLP penalty, but qualified for a downgrade, I approached the HJ to ask for the downgrade. The HJ approved it, but instructed me to give both players Warnings. It felt off to me because Nathan had not yet presented his deck when I was called, but since the HJ told me to do so, I did. The players were not pleased. After handling the situation with the players, I returned to the HJ and asked him to further explain his ruling to me since I didn't understand. He stated that his option reduced the likelihood of Amos waiting until he knew Nathan was missing a card to call a judge, thus trying to gain an advantage from the situation. It still felt off to me, so after chatting some more and talking to other judges, the HJ said that he probably should have ruled it differently. Also I should have been clearer about the fact that Nathan had not yet presented his deck when he called a judge. Lesson: If you believe that an error is occurring, speak up. Second lesson: Ask the HJ if you don't understand his decision. The ensuing discussion is really enlightening.

Group debrief. At the end of the day I sat down with the HJ for a debrief. I really appreciate him taking the time to talk with me about the event, even while the Top 8 played. He offered me a few simple pieces of advice such as moving faster, saying that I did well and he really didn't have much for me. Then one of the most senior judges from the event joined us and gave me his evaluation. Next the TO who is also a judge came by and said, "Can I get in on this?" Inwardly I laughed at the panel-style debrief and felt a little bit overwhelmed but also so grateful that so many judges want to help me improve. After a few minutes, just the TO and I were left alone and we talked a long time, with a few interruptions. Being our first time working together, we had a lot more than just the event to discuss, and we skimmed the surface of quite a few topics. My mind filled with so much more that I longed to cover, but our time ran out and we both needed to get home. While I left once again frustrated, I felt like I had a lot to think about.

In the week that followed this event, the HJ and I chatted a lot over the internet. In fact, we combed through the minutia and he answered every single question I asked. I learned so much about tournament operations and how things are done at a mid-sized event. While it comprised a bit of a tough day for me, I loved every minute of being on the floor and working with my fellow judges. I'd like to send an extra special thanks to my Head Judge for staffing me, teaching me, debriefing me, and as always having confidence in me. I look forward to my next event with him!

Know You

A lot of new judges ask: What do I need to do to prepare for my first Grand Prix?  Veteran judges love to answer this question, and each has their own version or flavor.  It usually includes comfortable shoes, drinking water, and bringing pens.  Each conversation contains a lot of valuable information, but it can leave a new judge feeling confused or overwhelmed.  I know it did for me!  So here's my advice to a new judge preparing for his/her first large event.

KNOW YOU

This simple phrase trumps each specific detail that others may suggest. You are the expert on you. You know yourself better than everyone else, so you know how to apply the well-intentioned advice in a way that serves your personal needs.

Self Care - This is one of the first things new judges should understand. Quite simply: If you are too tired, sore, sick, or otherwise non-functional to do your job, you hurt the entire event. Yes, judges have passed out, vomited, and fallen asleep on the floor. Please don't be one of them. Get enough rest. Drink enough water. Eat healthy food including breakfast. Don't stay out too late partying with your roommates the night before. You've heard all those things. However, rather than saying 'you need to drink 8 glasses of water,' I'll say, "you need to understand your body's needs." Personally, I have a type of migraines caused by dehydration. To avoid them I need to drink 1-2 bottles of Gatorade per day to maintain my electrolyte balance. I also carry some trail mix in my bag for when I need a salty snack. Think about your personal preferences as far as eating, drinking, snacking, rest, and medications, then understand how those things affect your work as a judge. Make decisions that will have you feeling your best not just on Friday, but all weekend.

Dress Well - We'll start with the basics: your uniform. Please show up with clean, well fitting clothing in good repair. You make us all look bad when your BO precedes you to a table or your shirt looks like you slept in it (even if you did, iron it). If you need a judge shirt, be sure to let the TO know or borrow one from another judge. As far as shoes, wear comfortable ones that you can stand/walk all day it. Sitting down because your feet hurt provides bad customer service and makes you look lazy to your team lead. Best advice someone gave me: choose the kind of shoes that you normally wear every day, and buy them in black. Other tricks: wear comfortable undergarments that don't rub or chafe, yes I mean a 'judge bra' or 'judge underwear.' Also, since you won't be wearing your judge shirt unless you are on the floor working, you will want to wear an undershirt so that you can take it off. Some people put on a different shirt, commonly a regional polo over the undershirt. I've also seen just a jacket or vest worn over it, especially in colder climates. Whatever you choose is fine, remember this is about what makes you most comfortable.

Come Prepared - Bring at minimum some colored pens and a notepad. Better preparation includes sharpies, sticky notes, tape, scissors, and a highlighter. Again, this is personal preference here. I like to bring pens with multiple colors instead of multiple pens. I also like to bring a clipboard, but hate having a water bottle. Make sure that whatever you want to carry with you fits comfortably in your pockets.

Know Your Stuff - Make sure you have read/studied relevant information and the IPG. If it's sealed, read the release notes; it it's Legacy, be ready for Oracle text requests. If you you are Head Judging a 2HG side event, look over the 2HG stuff. You can almost always look up a ruling or ask another judge if you need to, so know the basics, but don't stress out over this one. Also, know when and how to get help. Ask your Team Lead or another judge if you need to. Being right is always better than being fast. Also, know when to say, "I'm pretty sure I know this, but I want to double check one detail." Then come back and say, "I was right, it's  . . . ." There is no shame in consulting another judge, you will learn stuff and they will like helping you. Generally, judges worry about this one a lot, and really it's not that big of a deal.

Be There - Show up early. Listen well. Do the things you are supposed to do. Nothing is more frustrating than a judge who is MIA. Don't make your Team Lead have to wait on you, look for you, or wonder why your work is not done. If you have a problem, need to go to the bathroom, or don't know how to do a task - ASK. Communication is key here. For example, if the Head Judge asks you to go get him coffee, don't wander off to do it without telling your Team Lead who will be expecting you to hang pairings in 3 minutes. The Head Judge will be ok with you hanging pairings and then getting the coffee. There are a lot of people doing a lot of things. To make the event smooth, all of those things have to be coordinated. Be a team player here and pay attention to what's going on around you; it will help you, your team, and the event.

Learn Something - While this may go without saying, your goal should always be to improve yourself and your craft. Meet some new people. Try a new skill. Maybe you have never done a Polish method deck check. Maybe you have never been on the pairings team. Perhaps you can work a shift at registration or help breakdown afterwards. It could be a trick to remember people's names or asking about someone's cool shoes. If you think you have nothing left to improve upon, you should probably consider being done judging. Most judges love to help, teach, and mentor, so don't be shy. Ask about what you want to know. Observe carefully. Think critically. Make sure that when you leave, you are a better judge than when you arrived.

Write It Down - No matter how sure you are that you won't forget, write it down. Take notes about cool interactions. Jot down that player's name and table number. Scrawl a note so you don't forget. You'll be surprised how much information will come at you and how fast. With so much going on, don't risk it - write it. It also helps you appear collected and competent to have good notes when talking to a HJ or Team Lead. Notes make writing reviews and tournament reports later much easier too. Writing doesn't end when the event does. Committing your thoughts to paper makes them shareable so others can learn from you too.

Have Fun - Trite, maybe, but true. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. Enjoy the energy, the camaraderie, the challenges, and the triumphs. It'll fly by, so be prepared to apply to your next GP soon!

Unwritten

I was going to write an exemplar, but my words ran away with me and this got way too long and too personal to just submit as an exemplar . . .

To my judge mentor:

The time and effort that you have invested in me as a judge surpasses anything I could have ever imagined. From our first tentative talks where you told me to bring my husband along, our relationship has come a long way.

After I failed my first L1, you never let me stop working and learning. You dragged me through the intricacies of combat, first strike, double strike, protection, and trample. You encouraged me to keep applying to events, keep studying, and keep asking questions. (You even answered all those questions!) And above all, you repeated the mantra, "You ARE a judge." enough times that I actually started to believe it.

I could not have survived the stressful days leading up to my second L1 test without you. When I was in tears, you encouraged me. When I wanted to quit, you said you hoped I didn't. When I almost decided not to show up, the thought of disappointing you made me keep going. Somehow I dragged myself to that judge conference and took that test. And then, Nate wouldn't tell me how I did. I saw you at lunch, where I was far too nervous to eat, and you acted like you didn't know anything. After lunch you led me to that tiny room, silently closed the door, and solemnly told me to sit down. I think I can honestly say that is the most nervous I have ever been in my life. When you said, "I want to be the first person to congratulate you on becoming a judge" I just about fainted. Anger. Fear. Relief. And somewhere the insane thought that you had lied to me before about being a judge before passing the test.

Since that day you have continued to answer my innumerable questions (1 at a time) and never seem to tire of reiterating the details I yearn to understand. You have shared your wisdom as a judge and as Area Captain, even letting me help plan a local judge meet-up. You don't mind explaining things to me, including the how, and the why. The depth of our conversations helps me add the details to my skills that give polish to my work.

As I approached L2, your attitude towards my advancement shifted. You became distant and never encouraged me to test. You said that I would know when I was ready. You suggested that I not rush things. I took your hesitation as a sign that I was unprepared. I put off testing because I awaited your approval.

When we finally first worked together at Star City, you nearly made me laugh when you called me an experienced member of our team. It took some time to sink in that you were right. Those words took on a new meaning throughout the day as I realized that things were coming together and I felt confident on the floor delivering rulings, passing out slips, helping players, and flipping rounds. While working with you I realized how similarly we approach things and can see your influence in my 'style' of judging. I'm proud that I take after my mentor.

After that, I felt more ready to move forward, but still lacked your explicit statement of my readiness. My test came as a surprise, even to me! After I passed, I only wanted to tell 1 person - YOU. I needed some time to let that achievement sink in, but I couldn't wait to share it with you because you share in the accomplishment just as you shared in the work to get me there.

Much bigger than all of my judging achievements though, is our friendship. More than just a mentor, you serve as a confidant, a sounding board, a safe place to vent, and a smile when I need cheering. We talked about everything (pretty much literally everything) from the deeply personal to the mundane to the comical and theoretical, and you are always there to listen and share your thoughts. As you said, "lol, I seriously doubt at this point that leaving the program would make either of stop talking to the other."