Note: This is a candidate page for a Judge Foundry Election. Information on this page is provided by the candidate, and does not represent the opinions or positions of the Elections Committee or of Judge Foundry. For more information about this election, see the schedule and index for the 2024 Regional Advocate Election.
- Name: Chris Hrichishen
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Election: Regional Advocates 2024
- Running For: Western Provinces RA
Nomination Statement
I’m Chris Hrichishen and have been judging and traveling to large events since 2014. In that time I’ve been very active in the Canadian judge community as well as collaborating on conferences and other projects with the USA North Region due to being located in Manitoba.
I’ll address the elephant in the room, no I won’t name the region after myself. Folks in other regions already struggle enough with names like Saskatchewan and Tsawwassen. No need to inflict “Hrichishenistan” or something on them.
My vision for the role of RA is one of an organizer, mentor, and advocate not only for the region generally but for individuals as well.
One of Western Canada’s greatest strengths is its diversity of locations, experiences, and views. This relates to its geographical challenges as well. Having done major events in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary and also head judged single day F2F events in Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg I’ve seen that judging can look pretty different depending on where you are.
Traveling to an event has also been one of the best ways to certify new judges who might not have the opportunity. At one point when head judging an event in Saskatoon, I drove from Winnipeg to Regina on the way and tested some judge candidates as there was no L2 available to certify them.
I want to ensure that as RA I’m able to support folks whatever their situation is.
At the end of your first six months as Regional Advocate, what does “success” look like?
Success at the end of six months means establishing a network of Area Communicators to ensure that the diverse communities within Western Canada are represented and communicated to. Additionally, I aim to create a space for Canadian judges to regularly interact, mentor, and connect. Within the first six months, this space will be developed and active, providing numerous resources for both new and existing judges. (Potentially in collaboration with the Eastern Canadian RA.)
In a shorter timeframe, I also aim to reach out to judge communities of all sizes in Western Canada to introduce myself, understand their challenges, and provide support as we work towards overcoming them.
Finally, success at the end of six months means reconnecting with formerly certified judges who left due to changes in past programs, letting them know that they still have a community, and supporting them if they’re interested in re-certifying.
What skills/experience do you bring to the role of Regional Advocate?
Coming from a career in digital communication and education I’ve always tried to bring that enthusiasm for learning, growth, and development to my judging career. I’ve been involved with conference organization for most of the past decade collaborating with judges inside the region as well as joint conferences with judges outside the region.
As far as large judge events I’ve done over 20 GPs, MagicFests, CommandFests, and MagicCons. The best part of these has been learning from judges from all over the world and taking that back to my local communities. (Also the food… this will shock you, but Sushi in Vancouver is *much* better than in Winnipeg)
As an unofficial area lead at various points in the old program I’ve had experiences mediating conflicts between judges as well as working with judges who’ve had issues with the wider program. In this regard, I’ve had a great deal of success by showing compassion and seeking to understand other people’s perspectives.
Describe your plans to recruit and utilize Area Communicators.
There are already several dedicated individuals in the region who are acting as area communicators. I would start by approaching them to see if they are interested. At the same time, I would invite anyone interested in stepping into that role to contact me.
To start the ACs would be vital in pulling everyone together into a shared community space as well as ensuring that no one is left behind in their areas. I’d also ask the ACs about uncertified judges in their area who might be interested in coming back to the program and potentially recertifying.
One of my goals for the AC role is to mentor them and give folks a taste of what being a Regional Advocate involves. Ideally, by the time Regional Advocate elections come up again, we will have a diverse and robust group of candidates for judges to choose from.
What can you do to distinguish the Western Provinces region from the Eastern Provinces region, and the US regions?
So firstly I think that all regions are parts of a greater whole and should work together and synchronize their efforts. That’s even more true for Eastern and Western Canada which until very recently were one unified region.
With that in mind, I think the Western Provinces region needs unique answers to unique challenges. The same strategy that works for Newfoundland might not work for Saskatchewan. To this end, I will seek to understand the challenges faced by individual judge communities within our region and work towards supporting them as they grow and develop.
If you plan to reach out to legacy program judges that have not joined Judge Foundry, how would you approach them?
This is a major goal of mine and one that I’ve already put a considerable amount of effort into talking with former judges and understanding their relationship with judging.
Even before Judge Academy’s dissolution, many judges had found it harder and harder to connect with “whatever the program is now” as one former judge explained. I think that Judge Foundry is a massive step towards the community that legacy Judges loved. Recently in talking to legacy judges or uncertified judges in their communities, I’ve heard a lot of them express that “there isn’t a real judge program anymore”, my first step is always to introduce them to Judge Foundry and help guide them on the steps to certification/recertification
The Western Provinces currently has about half as many certified judges as the average region. What, if anything, would you do as RA to close this gap? Why?
In my opinion, the total number of judges is less important than coverage across the region. There are several places in the West without certified judges and no events large enough to draw judges in from other cities meaning that folks acting in a judge capacity might not be easily discovered. I’ve made it a priority to reach out to local community members and TOs to find candidates, set them up with mentors and try to understand the needs of their community. While not located in the West I’m currently in the process of working with community leaders in Northern Ontario and Newfoundland to see about certifying judges in those communities.