{"id":3864,"date":"2014-09-25T09:20:18","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T13:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/?p=3864"},"modified":"2014-09-25T09:20:18","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T13:20:18","slug":"jason-lemahieu-l5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/jason-lemahieu-l5\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Lemahieu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings Judges! \u00a0This week we continue our feature on the L4+ judges of the program, and we are especially proud to spotlight the one and only Lems, Jason Lemahieu<\/a><\/span><\/span>! \u00a0Before we pick his brain, let’s get to know him a little better, shall we?<\/p>\n

Name:<\/strong> Jason \u201cLems\u201d Lemahieu<\/em>\"lems2_1\"<\/a>
\nLevel:<\/strong> 5<\/em>
\nLocation:<\/strong> Madison, WI<\/a><\/em>
\nJudge start and level up dates:<\/strong>
\nL1:<\/strong> 12\/2005<\/em>
\nL2:<\/strong> 3\/2006<\/em>
\nL3:<\/strong> 5\/2008 (Pro Tour Hollywood<\/a>)<\/em>
\nL4:<\/strong> 2\/2010 (Pro Tour San Diego<\/a>)<\/em>
\nL5:<\/strong> 11\/2011 (Worlds in San Francisco<\/a>)<\/em>
\nI guess you could say that California has treated me well!<\/em><\/p>\n

Occupation:<\/strong> Senior WordPress Developer<\/em>
\nFavorite card:<\/strong> How on Earth is this a \u201cQuick Hit?\u201d Asking someone like me what my favorite Magic card is like asking the mother of 15,000 children which one is her favorite. \u00a0All Magic cards are special and beautiful in their own way. \u00a0(Though Civilized Scholar<\/a> \/ Homicidal Brute<\/a> is pretty high on the list.)<\/em>
\nFavorite format:<\/strong> Cube Draft – but not with most people\u2019s cubes. \u00a0You can see one of my favorite cubes here<\/a>.<\/em>
\nCommander general:<\/strong> When I first starting attending Pro Tours, I thought I should finally make an EDH deck to play with the other judges. Two games later, I never wanted to play again, and luckily found there are lots of other ways to have fun with judges outside of EDH.<\/em>
\nFavorite non-Magic Game:<\/strong> Dominion<\/a> (and not just because there\u2019s a card painted in my likeness<\/a>)<\/em>
\nBest tournament result:<\/strong> Day 2\u2019d Pro Tour Kobe<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Why did you become a judge?
\n<\/strong>I love playing Limited, but Constructed just never appealed to me (and still doesn\u2019t). Chris Richter<\/a><\/span><\/span> invited me to come judge some Constructed PTQs, and it all snowballed from there!<\/em><\/p>\n

How has being a judge influenced your non-Magic life?
\n\"misc-pt\"<\/a><\/strong>The Judge Program has influenced my non-Magic life in more ways than you could ever imagine. \u00a0There are some obvious things, like improving my organizational skills and seeing the bigger picture. \u00a0Then there are the words that I knew the definition of, but realize now that I never fully grasped until I got involved with the Judge Program – things like Charisma and Leadership. \u00a0Most importantly, though, is that the Judge Program is what helped me get to know some of the smartest people\u00a0I’ve\u00a0ever met. \u00a0Long car rides, flights, sharing hotel\u00a0rooms, and exploring cities around the World with so many amazing people has completely reshaped how I view just about everything.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your favorite non-judging moment that happened with other judges?
\n<\/strong>\"dolphin\"<\/a>After so many amazing experiences, it\u2019s impossible to choose a single favorite, but I can share a pretty awesome recent one. After Grand Prix Valencia<\/a> last year, Alexei Gousev<\/a><\/span><\/span> and I went to a huge aquarium and caught a dolphin show. \u00a0Using my limited Spanish knowledge, I ascertained that there was going to be a dance contest to see who got to take part in the show and meet a dolphin. \u00a0I told Alexei, with 100% confidence, that I was going to win this dance contest and be part of the show.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"dolphin-trig\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

(Unfortunately, the rest of the dolphin show\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0nearly as sweet as the one I went to in\u00a0Japan with Kali<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Todd Anderson<\/a>. I mean, THOSE dolphins could do trigonometry!)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you could chat with one person, real or fictional, dead or alive, who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hands down, this would be Wooberg<\/a>. \u00a0Luckily, I was fortunate enough to meet Wooberg during one of my visits to WotC headquarters. \u00a0(And yes, he\u2019s just as charming in person.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The man, the myth, the legend…oh, and Lems<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Please recognize a few outstanding members in the Program.
\n<\/strong>\"misc-gp\"<\/a>Kevin Desprez<\/a><\/span><\/span> is straight up the best judge in the program. Toby Elliott<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u2019s one of the smartest people I know. \u00a0I owe my entire involvement in the program toChris Richter<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em>. \u00a0John Alderfer<\/a><\/span><\/span> doesn’t just go to a lot of events – he\u2019s a significant factor in the success of every one he goes to. \u00a0I\u2019d never heard of Guillaume Beuzelin<\/a><\/span><\/span> before I was assigned his L3 panel, but he\u2019s proven time and time again to be one of our top Level 3s. \u00a0I can\u2019t imagine a better Regional Coordinator than Steven Briggs<\/a><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0I wish Seamus Campbell<\/a><\/span><\/span> was still active. \u00a0David de la Iglesia<\/a><\/span><\/span> gets a lot of credit for the amazing work he does, and it doesn’t even scratch the surface of the amount he deserves. Joel Krebs<\/a><\/span><\/span> is way more than just an awesome developer. \u00a0Rob McKenzie<\/a><\/span><\/span> wouldn’t give me the WiFi password at GP Minneapolis when I didn’t really need it for judge work – that\u2019s impressive! \u00a0Jeff Morrow<\/a><\/span><\/span> should still be Level 4. \u00a0Bryan Prillaman<\/a><\/span><\/span> is everything that\u2019s right about Florida. \u00a0Every judge in the program owes Brian Schenck<\/a><\/span><\/span> dinner for everything he does behind the scenes. \u00a0I will always make positive comments about Giorgos Trichopoulos<\/a><\/span><\/span> when he applies to the Pro Tour. Justin Turner<\/a><\/span><\/span> gets stuff done and keeps an often needed not-so-serious attitude about everything. \u00a0I will cherish every opportunity I get to have dinner with Naoaki Umesaki<\/a><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0Johanna Virtanen<\/a><\/span><\/span> is Johanna Virtanen (a great friend and a great judge).<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the largest change that you\u2019ve brought to the Magic rules\/Policies or the Judge program?
\n<\/strong>First of all, thanks for asking this question – it\u2019s made me think back over the years and see just how much has happened. \u00a0I think that the biggest changes have been JudgeApps<\/a> and Judge Blogs<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"site-logo\"<\/a><\/em>JudgeApps moved us off of mailing lists, and into forums, which was a goal of mine since I first started getting involved in the judge program – and I think it\u2019s just an astronomical improvement (and I obviously have to give HUGE props to James Bennett<\/a><\/span><\/span> andAlexei Gousev<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0for this). \u00a0A mailing list simply can\u2019t support 5,000 members, and being able to control notification settings for different forums and threads, and still participate just from your inbox, is amazing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"judgeblog\"<\/a>I also love what we’ve been able to do with Judge Blogs. \u00a0It\u2019s made it quick and easy to get judges to share their thoughts, and greatly reduced the barrier regarding how large or seemingly important something needs to be before sharing it with others. \u00a0Maybe something wouldn’t hold weight as a full-fledged \u2018article\u2019, but it might still be a fine blog post<\/a>. \u00a0One of my favorite things to do is help people start or improve their blogs. \u00a0I also can\u2019t help but smile every time I see a link posted to a judge blog on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n

What advice would you give to a Judge growing up through the program?
\n<\/strong>Document your memories and your progress. \u00a0In terms of progress, consider writing small Judge Center<\/a> self reviews, or find another more private method if you\u2019d rather, but have *something* you can look back on as you grow as a judge.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"misc-gp-jp\"<\/a><\/em>Regarding memories, I can\u2019t recommend keeping some kind of journal enough. \u00a0While today it might seem like you\u2019ll never forget that time the old man who lived with his dog on a boat in an Amsterdam<\/a> canal helped you find the venue, eventually your memories will fade and become jumbled. \u00a0And get a picture of yourself, ideally with another judge you spent time with, at every single event you judge. \u00a0Years from now, when all the result slips have been collected and all the table cloths folded, these memories will be priceless to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you were a creature what would be your creature type?
\n<\/strong>If I had to answer this based solely on the t-shirt I\u2019m wearing today, I\u2019d have no choice but to answer Mutant Ninja Turtle<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the coolest event you ever been to, and why was it so amazing?
\n<\/strong>\"dance-party\"<\/a>Pro Tour Amsterdam<\/a> stands out for me. \u00a0To start, it was a lot of firsts for me. \u00a0It was my first Pro Tour as a Level 4, my first (and last) high level judge dinner, my first time to Amsterdam, and the first time running the Judge Booth at a large event. \u00a0The venue itself remains my favorite venue to date – an old warehouse alongside a canal, with lots of catwalks going across the upper areas. \u00a0The Pro Tour then hosted the most amazing party to promote the upcoming Scars of Mirrodin<\/a> set, complete with a DJ and a crazy dance party. \u00a0I was fortunate enough to return to Head Judge the World Magic Cup<\/a> and World Championships<\/a> in the same venue last year, just before it was to be demolished to make ways for condos. \u00a0And so it goes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then again, I was also one of the judges on the original Magic Cruise<\/a>, so scratch everything about Pro Tour Amsterdam.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"I'm<\/a>
I’m on a boat…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s the farthest you have ever traveled for a Magic event?
\n<\/strong>9,600 miles (Madison, WI<\/a><\/em> to Melbourne, AUS<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

How do you not lose your mind?
\n\"misc-fruit\"<\/a><\/strong>When you get deeply involved in the program, you\u2019re going to have a lot of amazing experiences and witness a lot of great stuff. \u00a0Unfortunately, you\u2019re also going to, at least occasionally, see things that frustrate you. It\u2019s important to have (or develop) good judge friends that you can openly talk about the latter with.<\/em><\/p>\n

What hobbies do you have outside of Magic?
\n<\/strong>I love kayaking and playing with LEGO<\/a> brand building blocks. \u00a0I also recently got SCUBA<\/a> certified, and am really looking forward to exploring a whole new dimension of the planet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two Truths and a Lie
\n<\/strong>Two of the following statements about Lems are true, but one is not. Figure out which is which!<\/p>\n