MagicFest Calgary 2019 - Welcome to the Fold

This weekend in Calgary, we have 4 new judges to Welcome to the fold!

Janice Exel

Name: Janice Exel
Pronouns She/her/hers
Level: Level 1
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Region: Canada
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 2012
L1 Certification Date: December 10, 2018
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The Forest City Magic Community
Occupation: Software Developer
Random fact about yourself: I watch an episode of Star Trek every day.
Why did you become a judge?: To strengthen the community and run fair, inclusive tournaments.
What excites you most about this event?: Meeting new people and learning as much as I can!
What worries you most about this event?: The volume of players and events.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: How MagicFest’s operate from within.
Who are your mentors?: Rick Miles, Kaitlin McLachlan, Jacob Ender
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Overcoming impostor syndrome.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Studying, working an abundance of events, and mentoring/educating others.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: The Forest City Magic Community is full of so many wonderful people! That, and we play A LOT of modern!
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Playing in a 2 Headed Giant RNA box sealed at MF Toronto.

Mark Norris

Name: Mark Norris
Pronouns He/him/his
Level: Level 1
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Region: Canada
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: February 2012
L1 Certification Date: September 12, 2019
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The card Ad Nauseam (because when I cast it you can almost see the nausea in the opponenrt’s expression).
Occupation: Mental Health Aide for Youths with Moderate to Severe Disabilities
Random fact about yourself: I sing opera.
Why did you become a judge?: To give back to the community that has been there for me for years.
What excites you most about this event?: The many learning opportunities I get to look forward to — including practical experience.
What worries you most about this event?: The magnitude of the event.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: More efficient management of energy output.
Who are your mentors?: Jonathan Wilson mainly. Sam Hung and Jason Ness less directly.
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I sometimes find myself hyper-vigilant for errors and calls even when I’m not judging. The ability to step back and not have to devote the mental energy when I’m not needed doesn’t not come naturally to me.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Focusing more on myself and my own improvement as opposed to constantly watching and comparing. I find myself much more satisfied with my personal growth now. This applies to all aspects of my life.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: The general acceptance of everyone the way they are. We’ll always support someone in bettering themselves, but you don’t have to be perfect to come hang out and sling cardboard.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Learning magic from Jason Ness in high school, or reconnecting with an old friend because of magic.

Jonas Pagé

Name: Jonas Pagé
Pronouns They/them/theirs
Level: Level 1
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
Region: Canada
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: June 16th, 2011
L1 Certification Date: February 8, 2017
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Playing Commander with friends
Occupation: LGS employee
Random fact about yourself: I love to sing choral and vocal jazz music! I’m pretty good at it!
Why did you become a judge?: I wanted to be as knowledgeable about the rules as I could be and being a judge was my way to get a badge that proved I had the chops.
What excites you most about this event?: It’s my first big event like this, I’m excited for the experience, to meet international judges and work as part of a team.
What worries you most about this event?: I have no idea what to expect, I’m worried about being out of my depth or feeling lost over the weekend.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I’m hoping to learn how a GP runs, get a basic understanding of how the different roles interact, how the command structure works.
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I’ve had to become a better people person, partly to become a better judge but also to become a better person overall. I wasn’t rude or abrasive before, but I’ve learned and am still learning how to command the attention of a group, how to be a community leader.

Brandon Terry

Name: Brandon Terry
Pronouns He/him/his
Level: Level 1
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
Region: USA – Southwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 2001
L1 Certification Date: September 18, 2019
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Drawing Cards
Occupation: Wildlife Biologist
Random fact about yourself: Used to breed venomous snakes
Why did you become a judge?: To improve myself and teach others
What worries you most about this event?: The scale and number of languages
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: Everything I can
Who are your mentors?: Jordan Johnson, Chris Higashi
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: My naturally quiet and emotional nature
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Reminding myself to take a breath, calm down and PROJECT!
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: The competitive level yet still inclusive
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Standard Dredge