Where are you from?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Tilburg<\/a>, The Netherlands<\/em><\/p>\n When did you become a Judge?\u00a0<\/strong>In the stone age….actually more like the bronze age.\u00a0<\/em><\/em>I believe I tested on October 18th 2001, but my certification didn’t get processed until somewhere in December 2001. Why did you become a Judge?\u00a0<\/strong>I had some bad judge calls against me at my local prerelease and thought I could do better. (One epic one was where the HJ ruled that Fertile Ground<\/a> doesn’t actually ADD the extra mana of a color that you chose, but only makes the land give 1 mana of a color of your choice…)<\/p>\n What advice would you give to members of your region?<\/strong><\/p>\n Be yourself and keep having fun in judging.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em>What advice would you give to a Judge growing up through the program?<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t take on too much. It is easy to get swamp<\/a>ed. If you chose to take on extra responsibilities, know that there are always others with whom you can share those <\/em><\/p>\n responsibilities. Like Andy always says; “If you’re doing it alone, you’re doing it wrong.”<\/em><\/p>\n Could you recognize a few outstanding members of your region?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wow, tough question. There are so many great members in my region.<\/em> For individual recognitions;<\/em> What\u2019s the coolest event you ever been to?<\/strong><\/p>\n Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur 2008 – My first time in Asia and a huge experience for me due to the late night chats at the hotel. What\u2019s the farthest you have ever traveled for a Magic event?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kuala Lumpur was my farthest event with more than 10 000 km from home.<\/em><\/p>\n Does your family travel with you?<\/strong><\/p>\n My wife Laura has traveled with me to Worlds Paris 2006 and GP Krakow 2007, but doesn’t share the same interest in Magic as I do.<\/em><\/p>\n How do you not lose your mind as a RC?<\/strong><\/p>\n By dealing with issues separately and delegating them if possible.<\/em><\/p>\n What do you feel needs to be improved in the Judge program?<\/strong><\/p>\n I believe communication needs to be improved in the judge program. We’re still structured like a top-down business model. This can be a good thing, but the top doesn’t really know whether or not the bottom is getting all the information.<\/em> What has been your best experience in the Judge Program?<\/strong><\/p>\n Being recognized for your efforts is always a great experience. I’ve had several of those experiences over the course of my Judge career.<\/em><\/p>\n What motivates you to continue being a judge?<\/strong><\/p>\n The people. It’s all about the people.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What has been your favorite magic event that you\u2019ve judged?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don’t really have a favorite Magic event that I judged. There were some special events though.<\/em><\/p>\n In random order:<\/em> If you could chat with one person, real or fictional, dead or alive, who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Schr\u00f6dingers cat<\/a>. Just to ask whether it’s dead or alive.<\/em><\/p>\n Me and my wife breed dogs, Bullterriers <\/a>to be exact. Take a look at our website<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n Other hobbies include playing online RPGs. Currently mostly Diablo III<\/a> – Battletag = RichardD#2365. (If you add me, please include name and dci nr. ^_^)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What character in Magic (real or fictional) represents you the best, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Johnny, Combo Player<\/a>; When playing Magic, I often look for the craziest combo’s to complete. For instance, I once had a Tempest block constructed deck with Mortuary, Mogg Fanatic, Recycle and Aluren. It took a while to set up, but it usually worked if I could hold off the opposing team long enough with all the Walls of Blossoms and creature kill spells.<\/em><\/p>\n How often do you Travel for Magic?<\/strong><\/p>\n I travel outside of my region approximately 4-5 times a year.<\/em><\/p>\n What are some of your Regional Goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n – Getting the staffing for larger local events sorted out properly.<\/em> What\u2019s one thing in your region which makes playing magic special?<\/strong><\/p>\n Pretty much every location within my region is within 5 hours driving distance.<\/em> Tell us an embarrassing story that you\u2019re not afraid of everyone knowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n I used to party quite hard while being away on events. One time I went out with the score keeper of the GP.<\/em> How has being a Magic Judge influenced your non-Magic life?<\/strong><\/p>\n Considering I met my current wife due to traveling for Magic, I guess it has turned my life upside down and kept it going like a roller coaster ride of fun.<\/em><\/p>\n What is the worst tournament you have judged?<\/strong><\/p>\n Like others have mentioned, we should’ve all just gone home when we reached a total of 666<\/a> 2HG-teams at GP “never happened” Amsterdam<\/em>.<\/p>\n Who are your role models within the Judge Program? What are the qualities that drew you to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n Jaap Brouwer<\/a> Alejandro Raggio<\/a> Carlos Ho<\/a> <\/em>How do you have fun during events? I try to get together with other judges outside of the tournament as much as possible.<\/em> <\/p>\n![\"richard](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/richard-drijvers.jpg\")
<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n![\"you](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/you-know-whats-important-at-a-GP-right-e1382464077157-300x168.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n First and foremost, I’d like to recognize all the past and present L3+ judges in my region for being so involved and taken away with building the community we now call the BeNeLux<\/a>. (BeNeLux stands for Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg. The three countries my region consists of.)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n – Gijsbert Hoogendijk<\/a><\/span><\/span> for guiding me at my first international events.<\/em>
\n – Jaap Brouwer<\/a><\/span><\/span> for giving me a completely different perspective of what judging is. <\/em>
\n – Frank Wareman<\/a><\/span><\/span> for being my sparring partner in so many discussions.<\/em>
\n – Roel Jans<\/a><\/span><\/span> for taking over my role in Eindhoven when I didn’t have time for it anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"SONY](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/Teun-and-me.jpg\")
<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n Things have improved a lot in the last couple of years. (Like going from the bronze age<\/a> through the industrial revolution<\/a>.) Still I believe there are more steps to be made.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"HJ](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/HJ-Nationals-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"GP](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/GP-prague-TL-e1382463125647-300x168.jpg\")
– Judging a tournament for the making of a movie called Kilkenny Cross<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>
\n – Pro Tour Prague 2006 being the best Pro Tour EVER! (This is the Pro Tour where I got certified for Level 3, followed up by meeting my current wife in a club called Karlovy Lazne<\/a>)<\/em>
\n – Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010 being the second best Pro Tour ever. Mostly because it was my first regional Pro Tour since I became Regional Coordinator and it was also the scene for my bachelor party. (If you count Emeritus as 6, my bachelor party had an average judge level of 3,875 [3.875 for US] per person with 8 people present, including one who wasn’t certified.)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"me](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/me-showing-our-bitch-226x300.jpg\")
<\/a>What hobbies do you have outside of Magic?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n – Having more interaction between judges of different cities and countries.<\/em>
\n – Developing the Luxembourg community more and more.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n So it doesn’t really matter where the tournament is, you can always get there by car.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWe got drunk and were late for Day 2 by about 2 hours.<\/em>
\n Of course this was a big embarrassment for me as an up and coming L2. However, I was only a floor judge and easily replaced.<\/em>
\n Replacing a score keeper for a limited GP on Day 2 is not so easy. The TO was quite angry and rightfully so.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span><\/span> – His ability to make everyone feel part of the team. Well…even to make all of us feel like a team. Jaap has a knack for pulling everyone together at exactly the correct time and being able to say the exact right things to keep the energy levels and morale high.<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span> – For being such a stand up guy, with huge insight.<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span> – For being such a loveable BIRU!<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"judging](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/judging-fast-at-gp-rotterdam-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n It’s hanging out with them that makes me enjoy events more.<\/em>
\n When I’m RC I often organize extra curricular activities such as a dinner out, a tour at a local brewery, going bowling, a boat trip, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"start](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2013\/10\/start-of-bachelor-party-e1382465393661-183x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n