July 2017 Anniversaries

Here are the July 2017 judge anniversaries!

15 years

from Erie, United States
from Toledo, United States
from Chantilly, United States
from Toyama-shi, Japan

10 years

from tokyo kita-ku, Japan
from Utsunomiya-shi, Japan
from Calgary, Canada
from Merida, Mexico

5 years

from marseille, France
from Ossineke, Michigan, United States
from Antofagasta, Chile
from Bangkok, Thailand
from Girón, Colombia
from guatemala, Guatemala
from San Diego, United States
from Moscow, Russia
from Ottawa, Canada
from Hamilton, New Zealand
from Pampatar, Venezuela
from Hamilton, New Zealand
from Oxted, United Kingdom
from Voronezh, Russia
from Ottawa, Canada
from Antofagasta, Chile
from Wooster, Ohio, United States
from Tualatin, Oregon, United States
from Perm, Russia
from Roseville, California, United States
from Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States
from La Habra, California, United States
from Cadiz, Spain
from Santa Barbara, California, United States
from Sydney, Australia
from San Diego, California, United States
from Moscow, Russia
from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States
from Odense, Denmark
from Belo Horizonte, Brazil
from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
from Denver, Colorado, United States
from Berlin, Germany
from Paris, France
from Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
from Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
from Ginnegar, Israel
from Valladolid, Spain
from Douai, France
from Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
from Amsterdam, Netherlands
from Columbia, Missouri, United States
from Normal, Illinois, United States
from Greeley, Colorado, United States
from Boston, Massachusetts, United States
from Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
from Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
from Franklin, Massachusetts, United States
from Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
from Copenhagen, Denmark
from San Diego, California, United States
from Topeka, Kansas, United States
from Muncie, Indiana, United States
from Shanghai, China
from Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
from Atlanta, Georgia, United States
from Warsaw, Poland
from Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States
from Amarillo, Texas, United States
from Lexington, Kentucky, United States
from Machida, Japan
from Miami, Florida, United States
from Sofia, Bulgaria
from Sydney, Australia
from China
from Jefferson City, Missouri, United States
from Barreiro, Portugal
from Paris, France
from Hamilton, Ohio, United States
from Gdansk, Poland
from Roanoke, Virginia, United States
from Edmonton, Canada
from Shenzhen, China
from Stockholm, Sweden
from Brooklyn, New York, United States
from Dresher, Pennsylvania, United States
from Brisbane, Australia
from East haven, Connecticut, United States
from Waterloo, Canada
from Toledo, Ohio, United States
from Mount Pearl, Canada
from Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
from Stephenville, Texas, United States
from Midlothian, Virginia, United States
from Metairie, Louisiana, United States
from Chicago, Illinois, United States
from Tampere, Finland
from Stockholm, Sweden
from Sao Paulo, Brazil
from Mexico City, Mexico
from Arnhem/Nijmegen, Netherlands
from Edinburgh, United Kingdom
from Eugene, Oregon, United States
from Teresina, Brazil
from Budapest, Hungary
from Bedford, United Kingdom
from La Paz, Bolivia
from la paz, Bolivia
from Merced, California, United States
from Tampa, Florida, United States
from Sofia, Bulgaria
from La Paz, Bolivia
from La Paz, Bolivia
from Cudahy, Wisconsin, United States
from Stockholm, Sweden
from Moreno Valley, California, United States
from Pensacola, Florida, United States
from Navarre, Florida, United States
from Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
from Kemerovo, Russia
from Ottawa, Canada
from Richmond Hill, Georgia, United States
from Cranford, New Jersey, United States
from Santiago, Chile
from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
from Lancaster, California, United States
from Bangkok, Thailand
from San Diego, California, United States

Congratulations, and thank you for all your hard work!

Batman underarmor?

This month we are featuring 6 judges: Jeff Higgins, Ryan Stapleton, Michael Wiese, Davide Succi, Walter Zara, and Antoine Bouaziz. First, we have Jeff’s RC () sit down electronically for a mini-interview with Jeff:

Jeff S. Higgins has been a wrecking ball – in a good way! – for five years, and the Judge Program is better for his contributions. Rather than just scrape together a bio, I thought you’d enjoy this interview, conducted between Jeff (SHiggins), and his RC, Uncle Scott (US).

US: So, you certified at GP Anaheim in 2012; who/what inspired you to become a judge?
SHiggins: I was in a local player group down in Southern California with Leo Maros, and I had been hating the current standard format so I tested on Sunday of that GP. I really wanted to stay connected to the community without needing to play in every event.

US: Why do you continue to judge?
SHiggins: This is the best gaming community I’ve been a part of. I’m pretty good at running events and creating fair & fun opportunities for all players, and I want to continue to help make that possible.

US: Got any ridiculously funny stories to share?
SHiggins: My judge existence is full of ridiculous things; from getting immortalized by Reddit, to having Phillip Wulfridge troll me with a homemade shirt, to Frank Stanley and Max Perlmutter making a posterboard of me.

US: What’s the one thing you wish more players knew? Judges?
SHiggins: I wish more players would communicate with opponents more. So many calls I take are because of people not communicating because they think they are getting a competitive edge, and they’re often wrong. I wish judges stopped looking at levels as an RPG system.

US: How often do you play? favorite formats?
SHiggins: I love drafting the most. I don’t play a ton, but when I’m at home I’ll usually hit up an FNM.

US: All-time favorite deck(s)? card(s)?
SHiggins: Deck would be Theros Standard Abzan or Zendikar Standard Cruel Control. Cards Cruel Ultimatum or Garbage Fire

US: and how about favorite art?
SHiggins: Garbage Fire; I own the art.

US: On to some Muggle stuff: what do you do to support your cardboard crack addiction?
SHiggins: Contract work around Portland and judging. I don’t buy a lot of cards.

US: Do you like music? got a favorite artist/album/song?
SHiggins: No favorites, but Rolling Stones, Blink 182, and most electronic music (house, trance, etc), are the things I listen to the most.

US: and, how ’bout movies?
SHiggins: My favorite movies are Ghostbusters, Dodgeball, and The Departed.

US: Books – favorite book, author?
SHiggins: David Halberstam is a huge favorite of mine. The Coldest Winter is my favorite book of his; it tells the story of the Korean War, and does an amazing job at that.

A “staple” of the mid-Atlantic

Next up, Ryan Stapleton is celebrating 15 years in the program! His RC, , celebrates with a few thoughts:

Ryan Stapleton has been a mainstay of the Mid-Atlantic region for a very, very long time. We’ve shared many events (our first being US Nationals in 2007) and fewer games of EDH than I’d like. One of the things I value and enjoy most about being Ryan’s colleague, and his friend, is that he knows how seriously to take judging. He takes it just that seriously, and no further. Ryan has a fantastic attitude when it comes to judging, and the kind of steady calm that makes it hard to panic, even if it seems like there’s plenty of reason to do so. His infallibly positive attitude has helped me get through a number of events.

What you might not know about Ryan is that he’s also one of the pillars of our regional community. Ryan regularly organizes events locally — hosting gatherings at his home or simply hosting dinners out — and has set a fantastic example of community-based judging that I wish I’d see more of. Ryan keenly understands how a strong judging community can really enrich one’s own participation in the program, and I know that many judges in the region have been the beneficiaries of that understanding. Ryan’s been a judge for more than a decade, and his experience is an invaluable resource to the judges with whom he works.

I don’t know any judge in my region like Ryan Stapleton, but I wish I had a lot more judges in my region like Ryan Stapleton. There are so few judges with the same relentless enthusiasm and eagerness to conquer any task as Ryan. You can ask him to do anything from help run on-demand events to Head Judge an 800-player event, and he’ll approach it with the same positive, eager, fearless attitude. Ryan is truly an asset to the region, and to the program at large.

Thank you, Ryan, for your many years of dedicated service making Magic better in the Mid-Atlantic. It’s an honor to call you a peer, and a privilege to call you friend.

Saved my butt a few times

There are a quartet of Level 3 anniversaries to share this month. First, July marks the 10th anniversary of Michael Wiese certifying for L3. Current German-speaking Regional coordinator, , has this to share about Michael:

“I am very proud to announce Michael Wiese’s 10-year anniversary as L3! Michael became L3 almost by accident. It was during US Nationals in 2007 where he was interviewed for the role of L2 Trainer. Imagine, back in those days, only L3+ judges and L2 Trainers were allowed to test L1s! His panelists were so impressed by his passion and skills that they made him L3 on the spot!

It was only a matter of time until he became Regional Coordinator for the German-speaking countries, a role that he served for 7 years. During his stint as RC, he oversaw an immense growth in number and quality of the judges in our region, guiding our community with patience, humor and never-ending goodwill. These traits not only make him an awesome judge and leader, but also one of the best mentors I have ever met. From my first GP to becoming Regional Coordinator, Michael has been a key influence on me as a judge, and I’m still humbled to follow in his footsteps.

Michael is also well known for his logistics expertise at events big and small, local and global. Scores of GPs have benefited from his planning and his quick thinking. Whenever I witness him at an event, I am amazed at the seeming effortlessness with which he fulfills even the most demanding tasks, not to mention the fun everyone has in his company, both on duty and off.

Michael, while you haven’t been as involved lately as you used to be—little ones and a demanding job can do that for you—your impact on the judge community cannot be understated. You have touched and enriched the lives of countless judges, and to me you exemplify the best qualities of a judge—professionalism and kindness. I hope you’ll stick around for at least another 10 years!”

😉

Next, Italian Regional Coordinator, , shares some thoughts about a pair of Italians who both reached the 5-year mark of being Level 3: David Succi and Walter Zara:

“Davide’s technical and logistics skill are only one aspect of his great qualities and contribution. In recent years, Davide has taken the lead of the Italian L2 certification sphere in Italy and Malta and together with his team, he has helped dozens of judges to become L2, to be better in each L2 requirement, to understand how to be part of a community.

His advice in the Italian L3 group is vital and his experience in big events are always great assets. Davide is an awesome Team Leader, HJ, judge, friend. Thank you Davide for your support, challenge, wisdom in these years as L3 in the Italian community and in the international events.

Behind the scenes leadership

Walter’s best quality is his capability to understand people, to be empathetic, to communicate with others.

Since he became L3 he has taken the lead of the communication sphere doing a great job as a leader of a huge team of people who work every day to provide support to judges, players and TOs in our local forums and FB pages. In the Italian L3 group, Walter often proposes a vision of situations that I and other L3s don’t see, providing, in that way, a wide spectrum of options and possibilities that we wouldn’t consider without his input.

He is present on a daily basis in the communication channels and people can rely on him each time they need a L3 presence.
Thank you Wally, keep rocking!”

Community compassion

Finally, we hear from French RC, (with help from some others), about Antoine Bouaziz and his 5 years at L3:

“Antoine Bouaziz is a judge with very special set of skills comparing most of us. The first thing that stroke people in general are his quality regarding his human relationship and his will to understand and help other people to improve and develop their potential. I asked very few people to help me to write this text but I’m sure I could have gather dozen of testimonies like Kevin and Mikaël wrote.

From Kevin Desprez:

Antoine, you are a unique judge by many aspects.

I remember that day where you tested for L1. You were by far the most prepared candidate I had seen in the weekend. I was a bit skeptical though as I couldn’t imagine someone would create their DCI number only to take the L1 test.

Back to a time where most judges were heavily playing and were sliding to judging, this was one of the many unique aspects of yours.
Another of these is how much you care for people. I’m unclear I’ve met someone who is as considerate of others as you are.

No matter what you were going through, you were always considering others before yourself.

I’m fairly sad your job is pretty restrictive for your ability to attend events, as you are a powerful and inspiring team leader.
Happy anniversary.

From Mikaël Rabie

I met Antoine in a FNM in Paris 9 years ago. I was in Paris for exams, and I found a shop to play Magic on Friday. It was weird to see someone in a judge shirt for an 8 players tournament, asking if I needed some advice. It was a few years later that I discovered that he was going to each shop providing some help and gathering information. He developed this way the Parisian community, looking for potential judge candidates, and proving to shops the usefulness of judges.

The second quality that Antoine develop and that is super useful as a level 3 is his Magician skills. Since he passed L3 5 years ago, he has been able to catch a player marking his cards in a pretty interesting way, another one marking his opponent cards while shuffling to be able to manipulate the deck later in the game. Antoine assisted couple of head judges undercover to give his opinion regarding a potential deck manipulation. As his technical level is clearly above the average level of the judges in general we could be in a position where we would blindly follow his judgement, but Antoine, as the teacher he likes to be, likes to explain the whole situation explanation how, why and what a player is doing something. A potential downside of paying more attention of deck manipulation could be to start to develop a paranoia thinking that everybody is cheating, but once again Antoine does a pretty good education job to prevent this happening.

To sum-up, I would said that Antoine is an exceptional judge that not enough people have the chance to interact with In Real Life but who is bringing a real added value to the program. Today let’s highlight a man from the shadow.”

Congratulations to all of these fine judges and many thanks for their years of service to the program!

Happy anniversary to all of you! We look forward to many more years of judging from you all.

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