Here are the judge anniversaries for September 2012.
10 years
Erik Hagen, Stavanger, Norway
Frank Wareman, Den Haag, Netherlands
Davide Brambilla, Lecco, Italy
Seamus Campbell, Portland, Oregon, United States
Adrian Estoup, Temperley, Argentina
Kestell Laurie, George, South Africa
R. Jared, Sylva, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Jun Yanagisawan, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken, Japan
Thomas Reeve,London, England, Great Britain
5 years
Laury Plant, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Ivan Preocanin, Beograd,Serbia
Miklos Toth, Szeged, Hungary
Alexander Kyriakidis, Thessaloniki, Greece
Bruno Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Alexandre dos Santos, Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France
Michael Garee, St Marys, Ohio, United States
Michael Snodgrass, Ft. Wayne, Indiana United States
Mikhail Stroev, Khabarovsk, Russian Federation
Jose Maria Gallardo Mancebo, S/C de Tenerife, Spain
Gonzalo Garcia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Hector Rodriguez, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Sergio Carvalho Da Silva, Sao Bernardo do Campo – SP, Brazil
Ian Ferrel, Santa Barbara, California, United States
Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work!
This month’s featured judge is Frank Wareman from the Netherlands. Level 4 judge Jurgen Baert writes:
Little known fact: the movie “Calamari Union” (1985) was inspired by his life.
“Frank is one of the people who has had the biggest influence on me becoming L3. Even now, while I’m L4, he is still the one who gives me the most feedback. He has new ideas and concepts. He also tries out techniques he picked up during his professional career to improve the judge program. He is undoubtedly a top class tournament expert, who knows exactly when something needs to be controlled and when an educational error is allowed. His inventiveness is praised amongst judges. I think we all remember when Frank lost his voice during GP Lyon 2010 and he used printed out PowerPoint presentations to hold judge meetings.
Regional Coordinator Richard Drijvers says:
“Frank was always one step ahead of me within the judge program. He was L1 when I was training to become one. He took his L2 some months before me and he passed his L3 about 6 months before I was ready to do the same. Somehow it feels like I’ve benefited from him taking these steps, because it seemed like it made it easier for me to follow in his footprints. Frank has continued to pave the way for other judges in our region and is always a good soundingboard for my issues and ideas. I am sure that Frank has touched many lives and I hope he will continue to do so by being a good mentor to many of us.”
It’s a Bird!
This month we have one Level 3 anniversary. Oli Bird from Ireland was promoted to Level 3 in 2002. Here’s what L3 judge, Glen White had to say about Oli:
“Judges are a lot of things. Sometimes enforcers, sometimes teachers, sometimes organisers and sometimes leaders in their community. But very rarely do judges stand out as much as Oli Bird. Level 3 judges are often well known within their community but again, rarely are they seen as representing a community. Oli Bird has been a leader for, not only Irish judges, but the whole of the Irish Magic community for a very long time. He has helped to shape what defines Irish Magic for many years. As a Magic player and a Magic Judge he operates at the highest level.
Oli is often thought of a tournament specialist judge. Someone who you can rely on to ensure the smooth running of your event. But in the British Isles, we also know the good work that Oli does on our forums and in Ireland. If you speak to any Irish judge or player, they will know Oli. And probably not just by reputation but also in person. He is well known and very well respected. So as Oli gets to his 10th anniversary as a Level 3 judge, I know I speak for everyone in this region’s community of judges when I say thank you to Oli for all of his hard work and congratulations on reaching this milestone.”