{"id":8265,"date":"2018-02-14T13:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/?p=8265"},"modified":"2018-02-14T10:49:19","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T16:49:19","slug":"kaitlin-mclachlan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/kaitlin-mclachlan\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaitlin McLachlan"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week we feature a Modern enthusiast and an avid Affinity player! She’s a Bioshock and Lord of the Rings fanatic and she’s been an L2 for exactly one month now! Meet Kaitlin McLahlan!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"KaitlinName:<\/strong> \u00a0Kaitlin McLachlan<\/a><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>Level:<\/strong> 2
\nLocation:<\/strong> Whitby, Ontario
\n<\/span>Judge start date:<\/strong> Certified as L1 June 10th 2017, L2 on January 14th 2018
\n<\/span>Why did you become a Judge?<\/strong> In my community there are very few female magic players, let alone female judges. When I was a player I always felt isolated or like I didn’t belong simply because I was almost always the only woman. Becoming a judge was a way to be more active and visible in the community and gave me the ability to encourage more women into the game!<\/span><\/p>\n

Occupation:<\/strong> Product Specialist for GM Vehicles
\n<\/span>Favourite card:<\/strong>\u00a0Guttersnipe<\/a>
\n<\/span>Least favourite card:<\/strong> Sorin Markov<\/a>
\n<\/span>Favourite format:<\/strong> Modern
\n<\/span>Commander General:<\/strong> Arahbo, Roar of the World<\/a>
\n<\/span>Favourite non-Magic Game:<\/strong> Bioshock Series<\/a>, I also have a mild Euchre<\/a> obsession.
\n<\/span>Best tournament result:<\/strong> Bad…just bad.
\n<\/span>Random fact about yourself:<\/strong> I have the opening monologue of Lord of the Rings memorized and have been known to casually recite it.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you get involved in Magic in the first place?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>In high school, my best friend Ryan had learned from his girlfriend and wanted someone else to play with so he taught myself and another friend of ours. I ended up building a casual Izzet counter\/burn deck (featuring Guttersnipe<\/a>). I quickly became obsessed and have been stuck ever since!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Female
Female judges on staff for Canadian Nationals 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How has being a Judge influenced your non-Magic life?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>On one hand, it\u2019s really helped my career in the car business. Being able to digest and communicate complicated information is something judges do every day and it\u2019s translated really well into my career. I\u2019ve also been able to travel a lot more because of judging. I hadn\u2019t been out of Ontario in over a decade until my trip to Las Vegas in June 2017 for the Grand Prix, now I\u2019ve travelled over the border many times and visited places I never thought I would with many more on the roster for 2018!<\/span><\/p>\n

You were nominated for your tireless work and boundless energy at events. Is there some secret you would like to share with us on how to get that energy?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Being an extrovert certainly helps! I feed off of the energy of others and when my team and the players are having a good time, I absorb some of that. Then when others who may be feeling a bit more tired notice my energy, they can pull from that and it ends up this wonderful circle of positivity! The other thing is I\u2019m very careful about my self care. I make sure to bring water everywhere, when I\u2019m offered the time to sit I take it, and I like to knit\/listen to music to calm my anxiety so I bring those things to events. Find the thing that helps you recharge and try to find a way to work that into your day! <\/span><\/p>\n

What motivates you to continue being a Judge?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>In the months I\u2019ve been judging I\u2019ve dealt with a lot of negative things and that has made this a hard road, the thing that keeps pushing me is the promise of better. Initiatives like Collected Company<\/a>\u00a0connect women together to discuss the problems we face and how to make change in our communities and the community as a whole. In Canada there are very few female judges and my goal is to bring more into the region. I\u2019m lucky enough to have resources like the women I\u2019ve met in other areas and through online interactions like CoCo so I can pull from their experiences and do what I can to improve my region. We keep growing and improving and with that I, as a person, keep growing and improving. There\u2019s no limit to what we can accomplish together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"When
When you don’t have a hair tie and players keep asking for pens, you can kill two birds with one stone!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is one tip you have for other Judges?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>NETWORK. I can\u2019t express this enough. The people I have met have taught me so much and I definitely wouldn\u2019t have passed my tests or be as successful without them. Each person will have something new to teach you and if you don\u2019t take opportunities to learn, it makes it very difficult to grow as a judge. If you\u2019re more shy or nervous to talk to people in person or go out with 10 people after an event, that\u2019s totally okay too! There are tons of online places to meet other judges, reach out to your RC if you\u2019re having trouble and I\u2019m sure they\u2019d be more than happy to connect you with projects or individuals you may be more comfortable with! The community is a huge part of being a judge, even if you read this and want to reach out to me, please do! I\u2019m always looking for more humans to talk to!<\/p>\n

What is your favourite non-judging moment that happened with other Judges?<\/strong>
\nWhen he was Judge of the Week, Mike Gyssels<\/a><\/span><\/span> mentioned a trip to Syracuse and mine is exactly the same. August of 2017 was my first ever road trip to an event, my first SCG event, my first event working on a designated team, so it was a big deal for me. Having Jason Wong<\/a><\/span><\/span>, Graham Schofield<\/a><\/span><\/span>, Seth Black<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Mike all singing Linkin Park while driving through unknown American roads in the early hours of the morning made a very scary and exhausting trip the most fun I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

\"A
A gift from Megan Linscott at GP Atlanta 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s the biggest rule-breaking play you\u2019ve ever made as a player?
\n<\/strong>Not necessarily the biggest but the funniest was about 5 months after I had certified as a judge. I hadn\u2019t played constructed Magic since I certified and a bunch of friends were playing in a local charity tournament. I was playing the second turn of my first game and tried to tap my Mox Opal<\/a> to cast a Master of Etherium<\/a>\u2026 turns out when Mox Opal<\/a> is the only artifact on the field, you can\u2019t tap it for mana! Shocking, I know! A good friend of mine was the judge that took the call, he came over with a \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d look on his face and fixed the situation easily enough. When all your friends are judges, your GRVs are infinitely funnier.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has been your favourite Magic event that you\u2019ve judged?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Probably the first event I ever judged, a Face to Face Games Open in Toronto, Ontario. The judges on staff were all friends of mine and supported my interest in being a judge, they knew I was nervous and continued to make me laugh and smile and help me relax. \u00a0I had the opportunity to use a lot of my comp rules knowledge with live calls instead of hypotheticals. I asked for a lot of help but knew the great majority of the answers resulting in high fives and support all around. It was clear to me that this was the part of Magic I had been looking for and by the end of the event I was a certified judge! <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kaitlin
Kaitlin and Jeff Emery at GP New Jersey 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What positive aspects has the Judge Program contributed to your everyday life?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>I have gained a support system in a way I never imagined. Of course, they\u2019re always there to help with a rules or policy question but I\u2019ve made connections that\u2019ll last a lifetime. Whether my friends are sending me pictures of dogs when I\u2019m sad, offering career advice or arguing about which Marvel movie is the best, it\u2019s a fantastic feeling to have so many people with similar passions.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your favorite \u201cafter event\u201d story?<\/strong>
\nAfter the Saturday of \u00a0SCG: Syracuse, myself and the friends I was staying with ended up with giant baguettes that the restaurant had given us as they were closing down for the night. We went back to the hotel room to find Jason Wong<\/a><\/span><\/span> sleeping and of course, we decided to cover him in baguettes. He was certainly very confused waking up to us putting bread all around him. Much needed laughs after what had been a really long day.<\/span><\/p>\n

What hobbies do you have outside of Magic?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>I really love to read and play video games but lately I\u2019ve been obsessed with knitting. I\u2019m still very new at it but I\u2019m learning quickly and I really want to accomplish more!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The self-named Hype Team for SCG Columbus in January 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Proudest moment of your Judge life?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Easily, passing my L2 exam. I was absolutely terrified, I drove two and a half hours to sit with the closest L3 I could find (Jason Wong<\/a><\/span><\/span>, you are the best!) and wrote the test 6 months, 4 days after passing my L1. I had been studying non-stop and felt really confident but wasn\u2019t sure I would pass. When Jason told me I\u2019d gotten 49\/50, I was blown away. I\u2019ve never been one to test well and I have dealt with a lot of negative feelings towards my knowledge and skill set, proving to myself that I know my stuff is an amazing feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Judging has been really special for me. I have played magic for five years and about a year and a half ago I was really fed up with it. The competitive atmosphere, the variance and the environment of very few other women was just really draining. Instead of a hobby it was a burden. I sold my Modern deck and didn\u2019t want to do much more than draft every so often, then I was asked if I\u2019d like to be a judge. I got to use my knowledge and passion for the actual game mechanics and tournament energy and translate it into something new. Instead of whining about the environment, I could actually change it. My passion for the game has reignited (I even rebuilt my Modern deck!) I consider myself very lucky to be part of such a wonderful community and I am really excited for my future in it!<\/span><\/p>\n

Two Truths and a Lie<\/strong>
\nTwo of the following statements are true and one is false. Figure out which!<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I was a competitive swimmer.<\/li>\n
  2. I have travelled more of the United States than I have Canada.<\/li>\n
  3. I was in three minor car accidents in a year.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    [expand title=”The answer to the last Two Truths and a Lie…”]As Nathaniel Graham traveled between the oceans via the Panama Canal while serving in the Canadian Navy, he never sailed around the Horn. He primarily served in the North Atlantic and he is missing a few seas and oceans from his collection.[\/expand]<\/p>\n

    If there is a judge who is also doing something exemplary, please nominate a judge\u00a0TODAY!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This week we feature one of the newest L2 in Canada! Meet Kaitlin McLachlan!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":8266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"language":[],"class_list":["post-8265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-judge-of-the-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8265"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8359,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8265\/revisions\/8359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8265"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=8265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}