Grand Prix Milwaukee 2018

| Io Hughto

This weekend in Milwaukee, we have 2 new judges to Welcome to the fold!

Dan Barnard

  • Name: Dan Barnard
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States of America
  • Region: USA – North

James Skoog

  • Name: James Skoog
  • Pronouns He/him/his
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Saint Peter, Minnesota, United States of America
  • Region: USA – North
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: November 2008
  • L1 Certification Date: May 12, 2018
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: the camaraderie, both among players and judges
  • Occupation: Client Directed Services Specialist at MRCI
  • Random fact about yourself: I helped compile the first fully indexed and searchable edition of the Venetus A manuscript, which is the oldest extant complete manuscript of Homer’s Iliad. See homermultitext.org for more info.
  • Why did you become a judge?: I’ve always been drawn to the idea of being a resource for my communities.
  • What excites you most about this event?: I’m excited to learn about the logistical side of large events like GPs.
  • What worries you most about this event?: I’ve never worked at a GP before, so I’m worried that I may be in over my head.
  • What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I want to learn everything I can; it’s tough to be more specific than that.
  • Who are your mentors?: I’ve received all sorts of helpful advice from more judges than I can name, but I think the “big two” are Sean Carstensen and Ken Bearl.
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I think the biggest challenge I face is a relative scarcity of events that I can feasibly work.
  • How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: I’ve tried to expand my definition of “feasibility” when it comes to working events so as to gain as much experience as I can.
  • What is the best part about your local Magic community?: I really appreciate the fact that my local Magic community is relatively small, which helps to make it a more tight-knit community.
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: I think it has to be making the top 4 of a 24-person PPTQ with 7-Land Belcher.