Why do you Judge?<\/strong> You were nominated through the Exemplar Program. Tell us about your ability to present on nearly any topic. After GP San Diego last year we had a Judge Conference.\u00a0 I was talking with David Zimet<\/a> The Morning of the conference came and there was an issue with the space we were using.\u00a0 There was an airwall that was supposed to separate two of our rooms so that we could have 3 sessions going at once.\u00a0 We kept trying to get the Convention Center Staff to come close the airwall, but they had another event happening and couldn’t get to us in time.\u00a0 So at the last minute we merged my talk with another and had a larger session with Billy San Juan<\/a> What are some tips you have for other Judges? What is your favorite non-Judging moment that happened with other Judges (or after event story)?<\/strong> <\/p>\n What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge, and how have you worked to overcome them?<\/strong> I came to learn after many conversations, many events, many times at the plate that the mistakes that your average Floor Judge can make have almost no impact on the overall outcome of the event.\u00a0 Even if you do something and cause a 10 minute delay (which feels like an eternity while it’s happening) that only means that your event ends at 9:40 instead of 9:30.\u00a0 It was all about perspective, and knowing that I wasn’t going to negatively impact anyone’s Destiny.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If there is little risk to making mistakes, then you should always look for new ways to do things.\u00a0 Ways to make things better.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, your mistakes might cause delays or create a little work for someone, but what you do can change the world.<\/p>\n Two Truths and a Lie<\/strong> [expand title=”The answer to the last Two Truths and a Lie…”]Elias reveals\u00a0that he is not actually married.[\/expand]<\/p>\n![\"KyleFeatImage\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/01\/KyleFeatImage-241x300.jpg\")
Name:<\/strong>\u00a0 Kyle Knudson
\nLevel:<\/strong>\u00a0 2
\nLocation:<\/strong>\u00a0 Portland, OR
\nJudge start date:<\/strong>\u00a0 09\/07\/2006
\nOccupation:<\/strong>\u00a0 Logistics Expert and Event Operations Manager, Cascade Games. \u00a0We don’t really have titles, so every time I have to write this I come up with something slightly different.
\nLeast favorite card:<\/strong>\u00a0 Anything that keeps someone from being able to actually play. \u00a0Standstill<\/a>, Blood Moon<\/a>, etc. \u00a0Magic<\/strong> is a Multiplayer game.
\nFavorite format:<\/strong> \u00a0Commander, although I don’t get to play very often.
\nCommander General:<\/strong>\u00a0 I built Sliver Queen<\/a> as my first Commander Deck.\u00a0 Not because I wanted to do degenerate things, but because I didn’t want to keep myself to one color.\u00a0 I stayed as far away from “win the game” combos as possible because Commander is about the journey, not the result.
\nFavorite non-Magic Game:<\/strong> \u00a0Lately I’ve been enjoying games where you have to bluff.\u00a0 Coup, Resistance<\/a>, Werewolf<\/a>, etc.
\nBest tournament result:<\/strong> \u00a0Non-Magic<\/strong> – Top 8 of a Spoils $13k (kind of like an Open Series style event). \u00a0Magic<\/strong> – I think I’ve taken 1st at FNM once or twice.
\nRandom fact about yourself:<\/strong> \u00a0I was a Theater nut for about 6 years (Actor, and behind the scenes).\u00a0 I love the chaos of making things work.\u00a0 I love thinking on my feet.\u00a0 I love telling stories (anyone that spends more than 10 minutes with me can attest to that last one)<\/p>\n
\nI Judge for the community.\u00a0 I Judge because I love giving people the opportunity to have fun.\u00a0 I Judge because I like the energy in the room when people are excited.<\/p>\n![\"Kyle6\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/01\/Kyle6-300x300.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n<\/strong>I mentioned above about being into Theater.\u00a0 I did a lot of improv (mostly for fun).\u00a0 Thinking on my feet is something I am good at.\u00a0 I also have done a lot of things in the Magic<\/strong> community and have a lot of experiences I can draw off of.\u00a0 I also don’t hate being the center of attention \ud83d\ude1b \u00a0The combination of those things means that even with little notice I can fill 30-60 minutes with stories that people can learn from or driving a discussion that helps people grow and learn.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/span> beforehand about wanting to present, but not knowing what would be a good topic to present about.\u00a0 He suggested ‘Managing Stress: Functioning During Conflict.’ \u00a0This is something I’ve had some experience with over the last year or so, and it’s something many Judges have to deal with from time to time, but usually not often enough to really practice or understand how to operate well under stressful conditions.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span>, Tim Shields<\/a>
<\/span><\/span> and I about the psychological effects of going on tilt.\u00a0 It was a blast and many of the people who sat in said they learned a lot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/strong>No mistake is ever so big that it can’t be fixed.\u00a0 You will never break something so bad that it can’t be put back together.\u00a0 Don’t be afraid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Kyle1\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/01\/Kyle1-300x225.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAt the end of Grand Prix Vegas 2015 we had a meeting room in the Vegas Convention Center with probably 200 Judges in it all playing Magic, eating Pizza, and celebrating at the end of a weekend that won’t soon be matched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nOne of the biggest challenges I faced growing as a Judge is grappling with my own confidence.\u00a0 When I was starting out in the program I would constantly second guess myself.\u00a0 I would be timid when giving rulings, I would waffle back and forth about how to do the simplest tasks.\u00a0 I was so afraid of messing up that I was doing more harm than good to events.\u00a0 Even the smallest thing felt like if I messed it up the entire event would grind to a halt and it would be my fault.<\/p>\n![\"Kyle4\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/01\/Kyle4-300x225.jpg\")
Now, this could suggest that what we do at events doesn’t matter.\u00a0 If my mistakes don’t impact the event then how can my contributions?\u00a0 Think of it this way: If you put up pairings on the back of the pairings board instead of the front, that is unfortunate and probably irritates some folks.\u00a0 If you don’t put them up at all, the event doesn’t happen.\u00a0 The things you do, no matter how small, are all part of what makes Magic<\/strong> events happen.\u00a0 You never know when the thing you do becomes the next innovation that changes how we all do things.<\/p>\n
\nTwo of the following statements are true and one is false. Figure out which!<\/p>\n\n