Grand Prix Portland 2017 - Welcome to the Fold

This weekend in Portland, we have the following nine judges to Welcome to the Fold.

Steven Boston

Name: Steven Boston
Level: Level 1
Location: Bellingham, WA
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: June 2007
L1 Certification Date: 8/18/2016
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Snapcaster Mage
Random fact about yourself: I am the sort of person that tries to metagame random facts about myself
Why did you become a judge?: I believe that organized play at the local level is the best thing about magic for a huge number of people, so I became a judge to help make it better.
What excites you most about this event?: I am basically treating this event as a four day full immersion judge class, which is great because it is often difficult for me to find such a concentrated amount of hands-on experience with direct feedback.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: Everything! I have only been to a handful of grand prix even outside of judging, so I am looking to absorb as much as I can from all the talented people I will get to work with.
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: My primary challenge is that Competetive REL experience can be difficult to find as an L1 where I live, which means I usually drive at least an hour to events that I judge.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: So many friends I have met through magic I would never have encountered otherwise.

Jaden Ledkins

Name: Jaden Ledkins
Level: Level 1
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Region: USA – Southwest

Eric Lindgren

Name: Eric Lindgren
Level: Level 1
Location: Salem, OR
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Summer 2009
L1 Certification Date: 12/15/2017
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Blue spells 🙂
Occupation: Insurance Agent/Game Designer
Random fact about yourself: I’m known for playing more counterspells than any person should
Why did you become a judge?: To learn more about magic and have opportunities to participate I events i otherwise wouldn’t (I’m a mediocre player cause I build weird decks)
What excites you most about this event?: All the decks I will get to watch!
What worries you most about this event?: I’m not worried. It’s gonna be awesome.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: Not so much learn, but I’m excited to meet more Magic players.
Who is your mentor?: My fellow judge and business partner, Michael Keith
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Lack of opportunity
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Trying to apply for everything I can feasibly get to
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: Everyone is super friendly. We don’t have a lot of jerks around here, at least in my experience.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: I participated in a Two headed giant FNM, but we didn’t know it was THG till we got there. We spent the 10 minutes or so tweaking out decks to work with each other and ended up taking 2nd!

James Niesen

Name: James Niesen
Level: Level 1
Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 1994
L1 Certification Date: 8/24/2017
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The community
Occupation: Chef
Random fact about yourself: The jankier the better
Why did you become a judge?: I really love the magic community and I wanted to help grow the community here on the Big Island. Plus I love this game!
What excites you most about this event?: Getting to meet so many new judges. Being in an isolated community, we can be a little cut off from things going on, so really looking forward to talking to people, meeting judges and seeing some high level magic being played!
What worries you most about this event?: Having only worked regular REL, I am worried I haven’t had the knowledge and the experience to answer questions knowledgeably and quickly. I have read the IPG and the comp rules over and over but it is much different when putting it to use answer questions and the situations.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I hope to learn how to judge competitive, high level magic confidently. I also hope to take that knowledge be able to hopefully test for L2 at some point.
Who is your mentor?: Stephan Classen and Aaron Paio
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Getting competitive events for experience and interactions with other judges. Being isolated out here it is difficult to get those interactions.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Applying for GP’s! Also help with the NW judge slack chat and try to stay active on there though with work, I cannot always be on there.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: It is a small community but our community is the most welcoming I have ever seen. We have new players come in and we have everyone try to help. They give cards to new players so they can have decks, play practice rounds and we have many school programs in the local schools to teach kids how to play. This is all based on the community volunteering and donating cards for these projects. It is great!
What is your favorite Magic memory?: I help run the shop in Kailua-Kona, 4 Pillars Hobby Shop. One day it was just myself in there and a kid came in, probably middle school or around that. He was looking to buy a card because he had been looking all over for a card for an EDH deck. I don’t remember the card but it was to be his commander and he needed this card to complete his deck. I scoured the shop and we didn’t have one in the shop and I told him that and his face just dropped. Then I remembered I may have had one. I searched what I had with me and found the card. It was foil as well. I gave it to the kid and told him have fun. He tried to give me money and I told him no need. The look on his face is why I play magic and why I became a judge. I will never forget it.

Sean O’Connor

Name: Sean O’Connor
Level: Level 1
Location: Portland, OR
Region: USA – Northwest

Aaron Paio

Name: Aaron Paio
Level: Level 1
Location: Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Summer of 2000
L1 Certification Date: 1/3/2016
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The community and the sense of belonging that it provides many people.
Occupation: Cook
Random fact about yourself: I’m a big fan of fighting games! Street Fighter, Marvel Vs Capcom, Blazblue, all of them!
Why did you become a judge?: At the time there was no regular judge, and being one of the few players with a longer history with the game, i was often asked for help with rulings. I had always known that the Judge program existed in one form or another, but wanted to know more about it. When i realized that it could possibly allow me to travel (which i love) and take part in the larger community of the game (which i also love) it felt like the right thing to pursue.
What excites you most about this event?: It’s my first GP! Getting to meet and network with more seasoned judges and hopefully share in their knowledge and experiences. Getting to learn the inner workings and machinations that get events like this up and running.
What worries you most about this event?: It’s my first GP! What am i doing? Where am i going? What time is it? Having never attended a large event like this feels like a daunting task, but the biggest worry is probably letting down a player with an incorrect ruling or maybe not providing enough of a satisfactory solution to whatever problem may come. That said though, any mishaps or mistakes will be things to learn and grow from.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: The workings of a large event like this. How teams are formed, what their individual functions are, and how they operate both separately and together.
Who is your mentor?: Stephan Classen
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Being isolated in the middle of the pacific makes it hard to network, as well as work different or larger events. You kind of fall into a rhythm within your own area and get used to how things run locally, and not being able experience other areas and events feels like a stunt to our growth as judges.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: We at least try to keep in communication locally with the judges on every island through chat threads. Going over and reviewing new set rules and updates is also a great help when we work together on it. My mentor Stephan is always willing to lend a hand wherever we need as well even though he isn’t here locally anymore.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: In Hawaii we have the term ‘Ohana, popularized by Disneys Lilo and Stitch, which means family. Our LGS and community act very much like an ‘Ohana. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, random events and such together. Extending past Magic itself we go to beaches, play basketball, hike, anything really. Everyone feels welcome, safe, at home, and that’s what we strive for every day.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Recently my daughter has shown more interest in learning the game to help teach the kids at her after school program. After only a few short lessons in the basics, i was proud to watch her take 2nd place at her first FNM.

Darren Rennick

Name: Darren Rennick
Level: Level 1
Location: Tacoma, WA
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 2011
L1 Certification Date: 1/24/2016
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Vizzerdrix
Occupation: Card store
Random fact about yourself: I can solve a rubik’s cube in around a minute.
Why did you become a judge?: I really like interesting rules questions.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I want to get better at running large events.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: Everyone seems to be more focused on fun than anything.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: I really enjoyed the mixup that had me take my judge test on a computer in a loud room of about twenty people.

Edrick Sarkissian

Name: Edrick Sarkissian
Level: Level 1
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Region: USA – Southwest

Ryan Shetler

Name: Ryan Shetler
Level: Level 1
Location: Silverton, OR
Region: USA – Northwest
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: May 1994
L1 Certification Date: 6/15/2015
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Revised Serra Angel
Occupation: Games Retail Clerk
Random fact about yourself: I did my Masters work in Wetland Ecology
Why did you become a judge?: The local shop was looking to hire a judge. Once I started studying the rules, I couldn’t stop.
What excites you most about this event?: This is my first Grand Prix as a Judge. I’m excited to learn from these guys.
What worries you most about this event?: That I will make a big mistake. That I will be exhausted and overwhelmed.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: Self care.
Who is your mentor?: Brandon Welch
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: The Judge Center testing has been down for so long.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Reading articles and forums. Mentoring others.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: We have a solid group of Standard and Modern players at my local shop.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: When I made top 2 at a cash prize Modern PPTQ with my Mono Green Stompy deck September 2016.