Howdy all,
In this update for the Exemplar program, we want to highlight three things: a reminder, a change, and an example.
The first is a reminder that the deadline for Exemplar Recognitions is Monday December 8th. As long as the recognitions are written by Midnight PST on December 8th, you are fine. You can submit your recognitions here: https://apps.magicjudges.org/recognitions/
So while you are stuck in an airport traveling back from Vegas, sitting in the back of a car coming back from PAX, or maybe looking for an excuse to hide from Uncle Chet’s “opinions” after Thanksgiving dinner, consider writing a few sentences to let your fellow judges know that something they did was impactful.
The second item to highlight is a change. In the legacy Program, Exemplar was strictly a Magic Judge “thing”. There were often questions about if scorekeeping, or event setup/teardown counted. The question always focused on the “Judge” portion of the equation. “Magic” was just assumed. And in the first wave of the Judge Foundry incarnation of Exemplar, “Magic” was also just assumed.
However, that’s not a valid assumption anymore. Judge Foundry members are doing more than just Magic Events. Local Game stores are having a large part of their weeks dedicated to other games. Judge Foundry members are working tournaments for Star Unlimited, Lorcana, Flesh N’ Blood, Riftbound. They run Learn To Play booths and teach players they cannot float pudge* at both their LGS and or a larger TCG Con. Judge Foundry members are exploring their roles in these tournaments more, and with it come opportunities for mentorship, growth, and of course thrilling heroics.
As such, starting with Wave 2, Exemplar is explicitly allowing recognitions for actions performed in the context of any of these IPs. We realize that many of these IPs have a sponsored Judge Program, and this expansion of the Exemplar program does not interact with them. This is merely a recognition that concepts such as customer service, and running good events transcend IP.
Recognitions still need to be to and from Judge Foundry members, and we ask that when you “cross IPs” that your recognition is still something JF members may want to emulate, but otherwise, the sky’s the limit.
The final item is an Example of what such a nomination would look like:
Last weekend we had a Riftbound release event at our LGS, and there were a lot of new people in the store. A couple of players were being excessively aggressive trying to get players to trade cards they had just opened, Erin stepped in and had a conversation with the players that they needed to calm down. The players did for a while, but when they felt there were not being observed anymore, they resumed trying to rip off kids who didnt know as much. Erin, stepped in again, loudly reminding the players in the store of the trade policy and if they felt harassed, please let her know. She then asked the aggressive players to leave, then. I want to recognize Erin for stepping into what was probably a very uncomfortable situation, but taking steps to protect players and make a more welcoming environment.
See, with one or two word changes, that could be a Magic event. Being a Judge isnt just about the rules, or even the IP. Many skills are transferable.
Until next time, stay awesome
*That is a real thing. In Vibes, you cannot float Pudge. It is in fact, the only thing I know about Vibes.