Editor’s Note: This article is part of our series of highlighted exemplar recognitions. See our introduction post for all the details, or view all the posts in this series. This article was written by NYC and Long Island Area Rep Sam Nathanson.

Chase Culpon is a Level 2 Judge from New York, New York. His recognitions came from Shawn Doherty, Paul Baranay, and Rob Blanckaert, who had the following to say:

Chase, I wanted to recognize you for your efforts to organize the judges for PPTQs in the region. You weren’t just trying to populate a spreadsheet with data, you were looking out for the PPTQ and the judges. You reached out to the Area Reps for information, and did it in a friendly and effective manner. The region is in better shape today for your efforts in taking on this work. – Shawn Doherty

Chase, over the past few months, you’ve done exemplary work in many different arenas of judging. At events and outside of them, you’ve handled multiple tricky situations with grace and tact. Your diplomacy, communication, and conflict de-escalation skills are excellent. If that weren’t enough, you’ve been steadily taking on more responsibility at large events. In particular, you did well as sides lead at SCG Somerset. Two great behaviors I noticed were very regularly keeping me informed of how things were going, and relying on the expertise of more experienced judges on your team (like John Temple) for help and feedback. On the local level, you’ve proven yourself as a linchpin of the NYC community through organizing meet-ups and encouraging judges to be healthier. Finally, thanks for your work coordinating PPTQ scheduling for the Northeast! While under-appreciated, this role is crucial to ensuring a great standard of organized play for players across the region. – Paul Baranay

Chase has been doing an amazing job organizing judging resources within New York City. Not only has he been a vocal force bringing us together for social calls but also using his spreadsheet wizardry to make sure our many PPTQs were covered. The idea of a NYC judges fitness group has got to be one of the most off the wall spectacular thing’s I’ve ever seen in the program. – Rob Blanckaert

Here’s what Sam Nathanson had to say about this recommendation:

From day one, Chase was doing everything he could to help the massive Downstate NY area come together socially. He has planned and hosted several events in our area, including one this weekend! Not only that, but he has taken over keeping track of the judges for PPTQs. Thanks to his efforts and interventions, more than a few PPTQs have been saved from the brink of scheduling death. In the incredibly talented region of Downstate NY, Chase has truly done an exemplary job. Keep it up Chase!