Hola there Judges,

welcome to a new a special edition theme series of JOTW: Regional Coordinators in the spotlight!  Yes, those guys on blue shirts that ensure everything is running smoothly all around!  This week our guest is Damian Hiller from Argentina, check this pibe out!

What is your name?   Damian Hiller

What is your Judge Level?  I’m a Level 4 judge and the RC for Latin-American spanish speaking countries.

Where are you from?  I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

When did you become a Judge?  I don’t quite recall but it was around 2001 or 2002.

 

 

Why did you become a Judge?

At the time I was the teammate of Claudio Nieva who after a PTQ sat down for dinner with Juan del Compare to start seeking certification and I joined in. The first chance was Nationals for which I wasn’t qualified and somehow got into the staff! After that I started helping out on some other events I either couldn’t play because I didn’t have a deck or wasn’t qualified or simply didn’t want to play. Started out basically as an option when I wasn’t playing but still had nothing better to do 🙂

What advice would you give to members of your region?

Judge as much as possible, don’t be afraid of screwing up and when you do, learn from the mistakes. Reach out to other judges to improve yourself and you’ll find an excellent gang of people who not only are more than willing to help but are also a fantastic gang to hang out with!

What advice would you give to a Judge growing up through the program?

Try to learn from everyone in every single opportunity. Everyone in the program has something different to bring to the game and it’s that diversity what makes not only the judge program as formidable as it is but also what makes it so interesting and fun to be part of!

Could you recognize a few outstanding members of your region?

Wow, that’s a tough question! They are so many and so talented! I hope not to hurt anyone’s feelings by leaving them outside from this list but let’s give it a try:

Adrian Estoup has been for years the first person I go to when looking for another opinion on someone. He’s a hard-worker and there’s been very few times when I asked for his help and he didn’t deliver. I probably would’ve gone insane at some points if it wasn’t for his help and support.

Federico Donner is probably one of my preferred judges. A guru when it comes to rules and policy knowledge, he’s the kind of judge who by questioning what you do and letting you help him, you learn and grown along him. I feel proud to say I’ve been of some help on his path (not sure he will agree though!).

Alejandro Raggio has always been a reference when it comes to tournament operations. He’s the kind of judge who knows how things will go 2 rounds in advance and prepares for it and is always on top of things.

Carlos Ho, while technically not from my region is one of the guys who influenced the most, not only the region but also myself and has been a leader for all of us even if the distance has separated us quite some. The region would probably be quite different from how it is now if it wasn’t for him (and probably I would be in a much different position as well).

Those are probably the ones who inspire me and I have the most contact with but there are many others which need to at least, be named: Javier Castellan for his unmatched willingness to help in his area, Daniel Ojcius for his capacity to make people laugh in every single situation, Carlos Rada for his certification efforts, etc etc etc.

What’s the coolest event you ever been to?
Well, there’s been quite a few! GP Vegas 2013 comes to mind first, not only because its so recent but also because, well… it was kind of big! Magic Weekend in Paris was also special as joining in a PT and a GP in the same weekend was crazy (and quite big for its time!). Lastly I could mention GP Sao Paulo 2011, since it was not only the return of the GP scene to Brazil after quite some time but also my first GP HJ in my own lands which was something very special to me.

What’s the farthest you have ever traveled for a Magic event?

Coming from South America, many events take some 15 hour flight to get to but most definitely the longest one was Worlds in Yokohama… 2005 I believe? That was a 30+ hour flight going from Buenos Aires to Paris and from there to Tokyo (plus the train to Yokohama). Definitely look forward getting to Asia again… definitely not looking forward such a long trip!

Does your family travel with you?

Sadly not. I’ve made plans here and there to go to some event with my girlfriend but things still haven’t worked out to make it happen.

How do you not lose your mind as a RC?

Who says I haven’t? 🙂

Actually I rely a lot on other judges. Early on I figured the need to have people I could count on to be my eyes and hands in each country so the group of judges I regularly work with ain’t that big (20ish?).  Apart from that, I’m lucky enough to work all day in front of a computer so I get some of the RC job done while at real life work (hope my boss ain’t reading this!)

What do you feel needs to be improved in the Judge program?

With such a large organization, communication is definitely one of the hardest things to come by. Also as a volunteer organization, it’s not easy to make every effort visible and as such, things get lost on the way. If all those efforts could be joined I’m sure we would be in an even better situation than we are now.

What has been your best experience in the Judge Program?

Traveling to places (and with the frequency) I’ve never imagined I would. Getting to call people friends in places far and away from here who are there ready to help whenever there’s need! As an example: one time when going to Europe for some events, I was going to drop by Lyon with Adrian Estoup before an event in Paris cause he has some relatives there where we could stay. Things didn’t work out for him at work and he couldn’t make it in time to go to Lyon so basically I had a flight to a city which I wasn’t too thrilled about going and no place to stay. Told about this to Carlos Ho and quickly enough he found a judge who was willing to give me a place to crash even though we never met! Just by being a judge he was willing to share his house with me. Thanks Alexis! 😀

What motivates you to continue being a judge?

Without a question, the people. I could go as far as say that I don’t care much about who wins the event, whether we run it perfectly or could’ve done better or whether this new mechanic will kill Magic. I care about the friends I’ve made, the ones I keep on making, helping them advance and reach their goals. Because as time went on, that became my own goal.

What has been your favorite magic event that you’ve judged?

PT San Diego was quite memorable. I had fun during the event, felt challenged and empowered to do new things, peeked at the future of myself in the judge program (then was the first time I heard about and discussed some about “someone to take care of things regionally” which would turn to be the global RC program) and had hilarious moments outside the event.

What hobbies do you have outside of Magic?

Though lately I have not had as much or any at all time to play, board-games are definitely my hobby. I’m not much of a party man so give me a good dinner, gin and tonic and some games and I’ll have a blast all night (and day!). Right now it feels like collecting board games is my hobby but I hope to change that soon!

How often do you Travel for Magic?

I would say that once every 3 months or so. I try to manage my schedule between how many days off from work I have, the needs of the program regionally and which events I particularly have interest in attending. Sadly those three not always work in sync, making me skip some events I would really like to attend 🙁

What are some of your Regional Goals?

For most of the first years, a big goal was to make sure every country could have at least one L2 judge, making the country self-sufficient when it comes to creating more judges. While we’re very good on that aspect, we still need a few more L2s but with the urgency of certifications a bit more calmed, it’s my goal now to start getting new L3s. Luckily we have quite a few of promising people working for that goal!

What’s one thing in your region which makes playing magic special?

As we have very few big events, every time we get some everyone treats it like a party. Be it a GP, WMCQ or a PTQ, they are always moments that are very anticipated by judges, players and the TO alike and you can really feel the energy everyone brings in!

How has being a Magic Judge influenced your non-Magic life?

Wow, so many things! First of all, I get a lot of envy from friends, family and co-workers because all the traveling I get to do. Then, there’s the many skills which I’ve gained, such as responsibility, people skills, etc. which I gained through my hobby and now can apply at work or other life’s scenarios.

Who are your role models within the Judge Program? What are the qualities that drew you to them?

Probably mentioned some already but Carlos Ho was quite inspirational, don’t think I would’ve even tried to do all the community related things in Latin America if not for his support and counsel. Alejandro Raggio is always someone to look for when trying to learn how best to run an event. Jeff Morrow’s work on his sphere has been very inspiring on how to lead and work on projects outside of events. Frank Wareman has always been someone I deeply appreciated for his deep analysis both in and outside events.

How do you have fun during events?

Challenging formats always bring excitement, as well as intricate policy or rules questions which leave you thinking and help you improve. Chatting of course, getting to know more about other judges lives, both in and out events.  And if even after that there’s room to have more fun, it’s not uncommon to start some simple game like trivia, both to players and judges usually involving quite dumb questions.

What is the proudest moment of your Judge life?

Having players once event has finished (for them or completely) to tell you they had fun and enjoyed the event, or asking you to get a picture because for one reason or another you were instrumental making them enjoy said event. There’s probably no better feeling than that.

Thanks Damian, for all the Hard-work you put in by leading Spanish Latin-American Región :D!