Exemplar 3 - USA - Northeast - Northeast USA Judge Family

To Adam Daniere Recognized by Paul Baranay	Adam, I enjoyed having you on staff for the SCG Open in Somerset. You bounced back from making a procedural error early on Saturday, and went on to impress several other judges with your rules knowledge. Mistakes are going to happen at pretty much every event, so what really matters is how we recover from them without impacting the rest of the tournament. Kudos for that!
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Adam, I wanted to recognize you for an interesting accomplishment. You called all three drafts on Sunday at Grand Prix Dallas/Ft. Worth. Well, just calling the drafts is one thing, but your calm and consistent manner of doing it was a benefit to the event overall. It was something that wasn’t overlooked by the judges and I’m sure the players appreciated the focus you put towards it.
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by David Rappaport	Adam planned and set aside a selection of commander decks a year prior to the FOC charity event for that purpose. We didn’t ask him to be involved in any way from 2014 event to 2015 event. Midway between the two events, he relocated to New York. Most people would cut ties or at least be less involved in their old circle. Not Adam. He has been keeping up with the Michigan Community generally, and reminded us (the organizers) that he had made a plan a year prior to make us more able to make the event successful… ie not loosing our shirts on prize support. That was a thing in 2014. Adam is generous not only with his resources, but his time and foresight. Fraternity is for how he unselfishly supports a community that is frankly quite distant from him but full of people that care about him.
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by Jared Sylva	“Adam, I’ve been very happy with your development around calling drafts this year. This is something that you expressed an interest in and then really put in the effort to improve and grow. At Grand Prix Dallas, you actually had a hand in calling all three drafts on day 2 and have become someone that I can count on to have the call on lock down. Thanks for focusing on this to the point of becoming an expert! Jared”
To Adam Stadelman Recognized by Joseph Steet	Adam, you and Nathan Gellin contacted my store’s owners with a clear and specific proposal for additional events to run regularly and offered to judge them. This showed a fantastic amount of initiative and eagerness to judge, and interest in growing the community. Additionally, I want to commend you for your bravery, as newer L1’s I expect you were nervous coming to a store with multiple L2’s on staff, but your ideas were good and you didn’t shy away. Lastly, your teamwork was impeccable. You presented a unified front and neither of you were willing to accept credit without sharing it with your counterpart. This is exactly the kind of behavior I like to see in the program, keep it up!
To AJ Kerrigan Recognized by James Eveland	AJ helped me on a PPTQ that I was not planning on judging. The original head judge had to cancel due to a medical emergency and I took over the event 90 minutes before the event started. This PPTQ wound up being 108 players, massive compared to the average PPTQ in the area. AJ and another judge stepped up to help me out with this event, instead of playing. AJ did a great job on the floor all day and was extremely well prepared to judge despite being there to play as well. He did a great job working with the players and managing their needs and working with them. In addition, he took initiative in many of the daily tasks which was a great help. Without AJ’s help, the event would not have been as much of a success as it was. Thank you AJ for all your hard work.
To AJ Kerrigan Recognized by Jared Sylva	“Dear AJ, I have been very impressed with your development and self awareness as you have grown into a very exiting Level 2. From before you tested at GP Atlantic City you were already earning a reputation as someone who was smart, capable, and thoughtful in discussions. Since your promotion, you have continued to seek out feedback and opportunities to test yourself and grow. Throughout this process, the most impressive thing I have seen is a relentless self awareness and ability to process mistakes and avoid them in the future. Keep up the good work! I am excited to see what happens next. Jared”
To AJ Kerrigan Recognized by James Kerr	AJ, every time that I work with you I am very impressed with your hustle on the floor, you make it to more judge calls per event than anyone I can think of. Combine this with your rules knowledge, and I am happy to see you on any event staff that I am also on, great work!
To AJ Kerrigan Recognized by Nicholas Sabin	AJ, it has been a pleasure to come to know you as a colleague over the past few months. What I especially respect and admire about you is your persistence in receiving feedback — particularly, critical feedback — as a means to your improvement as a judge. At each event we’ve worked together, you’ve wanted to know what you could do better. I’ve no doubt that you will continue to improve, and I’ll be happy to help as best I can.
To Amanda Stevens Recognized by Violet Edgar	Hello Amanda, thank you for all you have contributed to the program. Your focus on safe space initiatives has inspired many judges to reevaluate the environments they hold tournaments in, and has greatly progressed the visibility of the importance of diversity both in the Judge program, and Magic as a whole. Thank you for all your support!
To Andrew Blair Recognized by Louis Annino	“Andrew, At a triple PPTQ day, you mentioned being intimidated by the size of the event and the amount of responsibility you had in the event. You rose to the challenge and made sure your event ran quite smoothly. I hope to work with you again!”
To Andrew Blair Recognized by Jonah Kellman	Andrew – you’ve consistently stepped to run events at the last minute. Players want to draft after FNM? You’re there. They dropped from a PPTQ and want to play in another event and the HJ is busy? Covered. Keep it up!
To Andrew Blizzard Recognized by Alex Stratton	“Blizz, When I first heard you had received your Level 1 certification I assumed it was just to help out in the local store and improve your rules knowledge. In terms of judge evaluation, I have never been happier to be so wrong. Your desire to improve and judge comp rel events is quite admirable and something I wish I had when I first joined the judge program. Something that L3 Casey Brefka told me when I first became a judge was to be a sponge and absorb every bit of information I could. You are quite the essence of this and always seem to want to learn more and that’s fantastic! I see a very bright future ahead of you in the program and I look forward to seeing you grow as a judge. Alex”
To Andrew Blizzard Recognized by Daniel Jackson	Blizz when I certified you, you showed a passion that I had not seen for judging before. I thought it was a new challenge sort of thing and it would fade away, but as the months have passed I still see the fire you bring to events. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and teaching you forces me to learn more so I can help you succeed. You make the Albany community proud and I hope that you’ll be able to spread the joy of judging everywhere you go.
To Anthony Hullings Recognized by Joe Hughto	I look forward to every time you’re on staff with me. I know that I’m going to have a good time. I know that many other people feel the same way. You bring a unique element to events and you’re consistently full of energy and positivity (and ridiculous high fives).
To Asa Russell Recognized by Justin Purcell	Asa, you’ve put in a lot of extra work to make sure players at our local store were happy. You saved a DTK release by coming in on short notice to open the store when the scheduled employee didn’t show up. You also ran an extra draft during Game Day because some players were confused about the schedule.
To Benjamin Coursey Recognized by Ian Taylor	Ben, I love watching you work. You have an easygoing style that makes the players come back every week, and you make Magic happen. We need more judges like you.
To Benjamin Coursey Recognized by Yonatan Kamensky	Ben, Ive worked with you a number of times at larger events, but it was only after running a PPTQ at your store that I gained an appreciation for the less obvious ways a TO can create a positive experience. Seemingly small details like creating a prize structure that leaves minimal incentive for collusion go a long way toward making everything we do better. You’ve done a great amount of work supporting your fellow judges and providing excellent organized play for your community. Thank you.
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Shawn Doherty	“This was a message from a player that made it to me after GP Vegas: “”I was recently in attendance at GP Las Vegas with my wife, Jessica. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize one particular judge at the event who I thought went above and beyond in providing excellent service. As a quadriplegic, I do not have finger dexterity and need assistance from my wife in order to physically play magic. Additionally, this also requires fixed seating at events for ease of accessibility. Over the course of the extended weekend (as I played in side events on both Thursday and Friday), Benjamin Klein was always there to help me with whatever I needed. Sometimes during side events, I was in a section where he was not even part of the assigned judging staff. When a problem arose, he somehow managed to turn up and assist me with whatever the problem was. I even jokingly asked him how he ended up assigned to the events in which I was participating, and his answer was that he was just glad to assist if he had time, even if it was not his event. Long story short, multiple times during the weekend, he went out of his way to provide excellent customer service to me (and my wife), which served to exponentially increase my (our) overall enjoyment of the event. Benjamin was professional, courteous, polite and competent as a both judge and a facilitator. It is judges like Benjamin that represent the judging community well and provide an excellent play experience for all involved. I really appreciated the assistance, even when that was not technically his responsibility, and the personal attention that he was able to give me. I hope my message reaches Benjamin and that he is recognized for his amazing contribution and commitment to the judging community.”””
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Sean Catanese	Your interaction with a disabled player at GP Vegas was immensely meaningful to him in the moment. You saved his day, and you did it without making a big deal of the accommodation, but with the stance that he was like any other player as a matter of course. It left a lasting impression such that he talks about it with people just chatting about the event, months later. Your simple approach could be instructive for us all. Thank you.
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Christopher Richter	At a recent GP I was approached by a player in a wheelchair as he had some feedback. He was playing in side events and said that you were an amazing help to him and that he wanted to make sure that that feedback made it’s way to you. I was not surprised when he told me this, from what I’ve seen you are an incredible helpful and courteous person when interacting with others.
To Brett Schmuckler Recognized by James Eveland	Brett helped me on a PPTQ that I was not planning on judging. The original head judge had to cancel due to a medical emergency and I took over the event. This PPTQ wound up being 108 players, massive compared to the average PPTQ in the area. Brett and another judge stepped up to help me out with this event, instead of playing. Not only did he do a great job on the floor all day, he also used things such as RTTools and Chromecast to make pairings available via TV for players and worked with the TO on other aspects, due to him being a TO as well. He was extremely useful and helpful the entire day, and made the difficult situation I was in much more manageable. Thank you very much for your commitment to the judge program and what it means.
To Brian Coval Recognized by Chris Stagno	Brian continues to lead the Western PA judge area with prowess – frequently stepping up to solve issues with tournaments, help further the education of judges in the area, and is even working on attending conferences to further grow the program in PA.
To Brian Rapp Recognized by Jarrod Williams	Brian, I was sad when you said you were moving out of Columbus as I thought we were losing a great community builder and leader. I was right, as you picked up the work you were doing in Columbus in Pittsburgh. You are quick to reach out bring people into the community and to share your knowledge. You are an awesome ambassador to bring people into the program. Keep up the good work.
To Bryan Frye Recognized by Alex Bastecki	Thank you for everything you do in growing the local Harrisburg community. The players see you as an integral part of the process and know that anytime you’re running an event of any size, it will be done so effectively.
To Bryan Hare Recognized by Jeph Foster	Bryan, Thursday of Grand Prix Las Vegas was a complete mess. Events were starting an hour late, and it was clear that the system that was in place was not adequate for what we were trying to accomplish. Even though you were not on staff, you stayed up until 2:00 AM and put a lot of effort into helping me get a system in place that would work. You also volunteered to come in Friday morning to help me get the system up and running. Without you, the rest of the weekend would have been just as messed up as Thursday was. Thank you.
To Bryan Paduano Recognized by Kush Singhal	Thanks for fostering the player and judge community. You always have your judge cap on; even when not judging, you strive towards making events and players’ experiences better. Thanks!
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Charles, I wanted to recognize your efforts to make the Magic community better. Since becoming a judge, you have been an active poster in the JudgeApps forums and been part of the Customer Service section of the Player Experience sphere. One particular situation I wanted to call out was when you were looking to help handle a store where the play environment was uncomfortable to some people. You reached out to me and others to look for a solution and were willing to reach out to the store to help improve the player experience. It shows your desire to make the community experience better for everyone.
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Michael Arrowsmith	I have always enjoyed working with you, even though the process go L1 was difficult. Now that you have made it, your contributions to the program and your local community continue to impress. You are a natural leader, but also have a great willingness to learn. I look forward to seeing everything you accomplish in the program.
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Paul Baranay	Charles, I wanted to recognize you for your involvement in the Customer Service project, and for our discussions about the Wood Badge course and entwining experiences. You are a very deep thinker and, even more importantly, you’re eager to share these thoughts for the improvement of the community. Keep it up!
To Chase Culpon Recognized by Shawn Doherty	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.
To Chase Culpon Recognized by Paul Baranay	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.
To Chase Culpon Recognized by Robert Blanckaert	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.
To Chris Stagno Recognized by Brian Coval	One of my duties as area captain is to keep track of PPTQs and make sure they are staffed. Chris is both a go-getter and a firefighter. When I ask if he’ll take on an event the answer is “I’m already doing that one” as often as it is “sure.” On top of getting himself all over the area judging for stores who need judges, Chris manages to certify and continue to develop the store-level judges in those stores. He builds the community by both making it bigger and making it better.
To Christopher Rumore Recognized by Matthew Karr	Hey Chris, during Eternal weekend, the poise and presence you had during an unfortunate DQ process really showed. You handled everything incredibly, explaining the policy and why the rules have no tolerance. The most memorable part was after the statements, the DQed player shook your hand and thanked you for the explanation. That was a great example of what exemplary behavior and execution is.
To Dan Collins Recognized by Adrian St. John	Thanks for providing SK support at External Extravaganza in a way that was resourceful and gave me comfort while also leaving me room to learn and grow on my own by not being a crutch. You found just the right balance and I have integrated our interactions into how I approach a supportive role at events.
To Daniel Fox Recognized by Todd Bussey	It’s hard for judges in smaller towns to showcase their exemplar behaviours. One way is to travel and work bigger events like GP’s and SCG Opens. Others take a different route by helping out the community by assisting on online projects or as Daniel has done, answer rules questions in an online forum. I visit many rules sites and see a lot of different kinds of posts so what would exemplar judge behaviour look like online? Well-written posts, correct answers, diplomatic language, effective communication for the reader’s level, respecting forum rules and staying on topic (traits that likely come across when he judges event for the players in his area). Daniel exhibits all of these qualities in his posts and his presence is an asset to the MTG Salvation Rulings forum. Keep up the good work!
To Daniel Jackson Recognized by Jason Reedy	Daniel joined our team at Grand Prix Atlantic City in a last moment swap, meaning he was unbriefed on what our goals and operations were going to be for the day. On top of that, he was sick and had no voice at all. Despite these hurdles Daniel was quick to absorb our methods, was never short on hustle, and was highly dependable throughout the entirety of the day.
To Daniel Regewitz Recognized by Brian Rapp	“Received many emails and texts discussing Dan from other judges in the area, but this one stood out. “”I would like to acknowledge L1 Dan Regewitz. Dan and I ran two GPTs this weekend together. While there were not any amazingly weird calls in the event I would like to acknowledge him for being a great continuing mentor as he ran both events as head judge, coached me on floor, prepped me for head judging other events, all the while helping me navigate through some little things that may not come up all the time. He travels all over the community and really is an exceptional judge and person. Dan helps keep the environment fun while still maintaining the competitive atmosphere. Thank you Dan for everything you do for the MTG community in Pittsburgh!”” Dan your continued effort to strive to make the Pittsburgh Magic Community stronger has not gone unnoticed.”
To Daniel Regewitz Recognized by Brian Coval	Dan is one of the senior judges in Western PA according to certification date. He manages a chain of comic book stores and has been taking care of their judging needs as a level 1 for many years. With the move to the PPTQ system our area was in desperate need of L2’s so I put out a call asking L1’s to consider making the push. That’s when I learned that Dan had already been working with L3’s, judging larger non-regional events, and working with other TO’s to move toward level 2. Dan had independently identified a community need and stepped out of a long-established comfort zone to help the community meet that need. Pushing your own comfort limits to help grow the area program is exemplary
To Daniel Stockton Recognized by Steve Carpenter	Daniel: Thank you for taking the new judge candidates through the 10-week judge training course. You have helped mentor two new L1 judges into the program, with minimal direction and marked enthusiasm. These judges look up to you, and you went above and beyond to help make their Magic Judging experience a success. Thank you!
To David Gross Recognized by Mani Cavalieri	I’ll admit, I was a little jealous that it was Paul who got to certify you. I always like seeing your smiling face at events when you’re a player, and I look forward to seeing more of it at events where you’re a judge – as I’m sure many other players will. I was also impressed with how quickly and thoroughly you studied the rules and policy documents as you prepared to work your first event and take your L1 test – I think your drive to improve your knowledge rapidly will serve you very well. And I do want to note the disqualification which you handled at our store: An issue was brought to your attention, you took action, and you reached out to get more guidance on how best to handle it. Well done.
To David Haass Recognized by William Anderson	I think your proactive decisions to address problematic behavior in the community instead of waiting and hoping that others handle it is of great benefit. The way you discretely, diplomatically, yet surely acted to solve a problem is something that other judges should emulate.
To Edgar Hinton Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Edgar, Thank you for providing me with feedback on how another judge was performing. You gave me specific details on what this judge could improve upon, as well as when it would occur. Those details let me confirm it for myself and made it easier for me to work with the judge on improving. A lot of newer judges are afraid to provide negative feedback because of a “”Who’s the rookie?”” culture. It’s important for judges to bring up feedback, regardless of who they are or who they give feedback to.”
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Robert Blanckaert	Eli, your presentation on shuffling at the Judge Conference was fantastic. Your unique combination of your mathematical and slight of hand skills made you the perfect man for the job, and you executed brilliantly. I especially appreciated the videos you made. That’s something I’ve never seen in judge talk before, and they were super helpful!
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Elliot Raff	Eli, your willingness over these past few months to listen to feedback and to improve is admirable. You have always been strong on rules, but your drive to better your customer service skills and policy knowledge is something from which not only you, but the people around you, will benefit. Listening to feedback is an invaluable skill, and the progress that you have shown is indeed exemplary.
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Eli, I wanted to thank you for your participation on the JudgeApps forums. You are a regular contributor who has helped answer rules questions, provoked discussions, and added to the conversation of a variety of topics. Your insights always seems helpful and pertinent to the topic at hand. Keep on posting!
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Benjamin McDole	Eli, I’m recognizing you for your fantastic work on the annotated MTR project. Your sections were beautifully written and extremely easy to edit. On top of that you went above and beyond by offering (and doing) extra work that others who had gone inactive left. Thanks for your fantastic work!
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Paul Baranay	Eli, the impact you’ve had on the judge program so far has been tremendous. Your seminar on shuffling at the Philadelphia conference was a delight, and I believe many judges could learn from the integration of videos into your presentation. I’ve also been impressed by your ability to ask unexpected questions. I look forward to seeing you at more events and conferences!
To Elliot Raff Recognized by Alex Stratton	“Elliot, Something that not everyone that meets me automatically realizes, is that I have a mild form of autism and struggle in social situations. This became very relevant in GP Las Vegas when another judge had told me information involving you and myself that I did not take particularly well. I messaged you about this and you immediately responded and calmed me down and took time out of your social life during the judge gathering after the GP to make sure I was ok going forward. These simple acts meant a lot to me as coming out of that GP I was unsure If I wanted to continue in the program. You showed me that not everyone cares about who is better or simply out there to spite you and people do genuinely care about their peers in Magic Judges. A large reason of why I am still putting on the black some weekends now and then is because of this interaction with you. Thank you Alex “
To Eric Shukan Recognized by Christian Gawrilowicz	Thank you Eric for continuously collecting knowledge and passing it on by the means of articles. You even wrote the best judge article of the year 2014 – “Investigations â€“ The Search for Collateral Truths”!
To Eric Smith Recognized by Daniel Kitachewsky	Eric, a pet peeve of mine is losing time on complex rulings when the floor judge does a poor job of collecting information and the head judge must investigate everything from the beginning. You’ve shown exactly how to do it right, by having a complete picture of the game, including the precise board state and lines of play that make sense, so that I could immediately take a good decision on a “he said she said” situation. Head judging would be so easy if everyone was as perceptive and precise as you!
To Ethan Do Recognized by Ilan Seid-Green	“Ethan, I am consistently impressed with your willingness to step in to defuse situations and help out. You never hesitate, even when things are very tense or heated. Recently two players were having a heated argument near the end of a match. I was in the middle of a game and another judge was standing there unsure what to do. You jumped in as soon as you noticed; it took a while for you to calm the players down, but you stuck with it all the way.”
To George Roehr Recognized by Mike Noss	Thank you George for always going above and beyond in preparation for events at All Stars. Whether it is a PPTQ or a prerelease, you’ve always made my life HJing there so much easier by knowing everything is set and ready to go when I arrive. Your actions at events are often taken before I need to ask you to perform them. You know what to do and you know how to do it with excellence with minimal instruction and I appreciate that. Thank you.
To Ian Taylor Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Ian, I wanted to recognize and thank you for the words of wisdom that you shared with the community in your “Things I learned in 20 years” post. The post is a great reflection of your involvement in the Judge Program, but also reflects your personality. Since it is in the Community Corner forum as well, it will continue to provide sage advice to judges, new and old. Thanks for all that you have done!
To Ilan Seid-Green Recognized by Eric Levine	Ilan, your presentation at the Northeast Judge Conference in May was top notch. Judges and players alike often have difficulty dealing with the situations you described, and I think you did a great job of demystifying those situations and breaking them down so they can be more easily handled. Nice work!
To Ilan Seid-Green Recognized by Adena Chernosky	Ilan was my logistics team lead for the Duel for Duels Legacy event at Eternal Weekend. We were trying out a new software interface for outstanding tables, and it was not updating in a timely manner. Ilan created his own system for end of round, and kept most of our turnaround times around 60 minutes, which is very good for a large legacy tournament. He was also in charge of coordinating breaks, and made sure that not only our staff but also the people that were pulled off our event to help with on demand events also got their breaks. I was very impressed with his tournament vision, looking for the little things that made the day run smoother and either suggesting them to me or implementing them himself.
To Ilan Seid-Green Recognized by Christopher Rumore	Ilan, thank you for your help at the Star City Games Providence Open. Our talk late in the day truly helped me identify a critical aspect of myself that I need to work on; not just as a judge, but as a person. While you weren’t the first person to correctly identify the issue, you took the time to sit and help me think of solutions. After a stressful weekend full of mishaps, it was something I really needed. Thank you.
To Ilan Seid-Green Recognized by Thomas Davis	“Ilan, at SCG Washington I suffered I lack of diplomacy in terms of feedback I provided you. Rather than tilt during the entire tournament after this, you reached out to me and told me how you felt. This helped me rectify a situation that otherwise could have worsened my entire tournament. Moreso, you powered through this negative situation and performed admirably in your role as a team lead. This is the kind of behavior I value highly in the judge community. Thank you for speaking out and keeping your best foot forward. You were a rock star.”
To Jacen Simon Recognized by Christopher Rumore	Thank you, Jacen, for taking the appropriate steps necessary to cover for a sick judge for the Magic Origins PreRelease. Although you had other obligations to fill, you were quick to assess which of two stores needed more help and acted accordingly. I expect to see many good things from you in the future. Thank you!
To Jacob Kriner Recognized by Alex Bastecki	Thank you for stepping up to the plate as a new L2 in the giant sea of stores in Central PA wanting to run PPTQs. This is especially true when I had to cancel an engagement at a store and you immediately helped fill the hole that was made.
To James Albert Recognized by Chris Stagno	James – while I still feel you have a ways to go, I wanted to recognize you for taking the steps to really jump head first into the judge program by applying and working events outside your area. I feel that with continued work and experience, you have what it takes to make a great L2 someday soon!
To James Eveland Recognized by Rich Waldbiesser	This is recognition for a judge who took over running a PPTQ for me on less than 2 hours notice when I ended up in the hospital. Then he had 103 players and 2 floor judges. Great job and thank you.
To James Eveland Recognized by Mike Noss	James, you were the Scorekeeper for the SCG Regionals in NJ I Head Judged. The event was a bit chaotic for various reasons, but the one thing I didn’t need to worry about was scorekeeping, you had it under control. You didn’t miss a beat there and whenever you could, you made your way out on the floor as well doing double duty because you saw the event needed more coverage. Thank you for being proactive about making the event as good as it could be for the players attending and for me.
To James Sanderson Recognized by Elliot Raff	James, your customer service skills are excellent. I have never seen a player dissatisfied at any of your events, and you go out of your way to be courteous and helpful to everyone. It is exceptional that you greet everyone with a smile on your face, even in the face of a long shift or whatever may be happening elsewhere. You are a constant reminder that Magic is first and foremost a game to be played for fun, and that is something every LGS needs.
To Jason Corrigan Recognized by Rich Bourque	Jason, you have been a pillar of the community in the Syracuse area for many years. You have been my right-hand man so many times at big events throughout the years. PTQs, PPTQs, GPTs, and Prereleases would not be the same if you were not by my side. The players look up to you, other judges look up to you, I look up to you. Thank you for always giving your best.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Graham Schofield	I was inspired by your professionalism under fire and ability to find small teaching moments for your judges during Day 1 of GP Vegas. Despite all the demands of the tournament you went above and beyond by demonstrating a calm demeanor at THE tournament when everyone would have forgiven a team lead for being stressed. And you found time to teach me and my fellow judges small things as they came up. Thanks.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Eric Levine	Joe’s work on the Mystical Tutor project has been amazing to watch. Joe, you’ve assembled a great team, and your focus on keeping project momentum high is really paying dividends. Momentum is one of the most important factors in keeping projects alive – I think your example will inspire other project leaders!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Jason Lemahieu	“Joe! I love the initiative you took with Mystical Tutor. You had an idea, and rallied a team to help see it through to completion. You’re generating some awesome content. Keep up the great work! – Lems”
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Stephan Classen	Joe, your drive and leadership has been truly inspiring for the Mystical Tutor project. You keep bringing up a point, and perhaps I didn’t realize it before now, but judge projects often lose steam and support, and more regularly now than before, it seems. You however, keep things rolling and inspiration flowing. Thank you for all you do. Keep on inspiring judges!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by John Brian McCarthy	This spring, Joe (and Riki Hayashi, whom I’m also recognizing here) provided me with some feedback that I really needed to hear. A lot of it was pretty frank, and provided me an important reality check. Since then, they’ve been continuing to mentor me, letting me know when they feels like I’m improving on behaviors and when I’m not.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Jack Doyle	You’re one of the judges, that every time I talk to, I learn something new. Normally it’s that I just screwed something up, but that’s often the best feedback to have right there, on the spot. Running sides in London alongside you was a genuine pleasure and I’m hopeful about the future of Trello in the US because of it. Thanks, Joe.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Joe, I wanted to recognize you for your efforts to bring a sense of community to the Region. These efforts have included work on getting regional judge shirts produced and continuing to provide webforms and other methods for the region to collect information. Those things made my life easier as an RC, but more importantly, made the judges of the region feel better about themselves.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Mani Cavalieri	Your insight into people’s performance and abilities as judges – in varying levels and roles throughout the program, and including yourself – continues to impress me. It is tremendously useful, both in helping me grow personally, and in understanding how the program works and behaves. This type of mentorship you provide is invaluable, because it is something that not everyone can do. It is a big part of why I continue to enjoy working with you and talking about the program. Looking forward to our next event together.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Abraham Corson	“Joe, There are a lot of things that make you an exemplar colleague, friend, and human being, but today I’m recognizing you for your interest in regional activities and for stepping-up to provide some leadership in the Northeast. Abe”
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Joe, I just wanted to think you for your consistent efforts to provide a sense of community for the region. While your efforts with the regional judge shirts and playmats are most visible, the additional help you have given me with regional activities has been invaluable. Continue to be awesome!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Craig Stambaugh	Joe, you have done so much work to help bring the Northeast Region of the judge program together as a community. Not only that, but with projects like Mystical Tutor, you have helped people become judges and judges become better judges. Keep up the great work.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Lucy Wyatt	Joe, I want to thank you for being an excellent team lead at GP Vegas. Not only were you organised and excellent enough to do what was required, but you put real effort into helping me and the other judges on the team grow and learn. It’s not uncommon to easily sideline people, especially new people, when taking on new challenges but you instead made me feel particularly relevant, and while you thanked me for the contributions I made to the team, I wouldn’t have done well without your support and encouragement. Thanks!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Steve Guillerm	Joe, you’ve ceaselessly coordinated a ton of projects, conferences, and other sweet things in our region. That’s way above and beyond what I see from a lot of other L3s.
To Joel Goggin Recognized by Megan Linscott	Joel, you show a commendable dedication to your community in your ability to seek out what needs to be done, and do it. For me, this showed itself when I certified as an L1, and, knowing how few L2s I would have the ability to interact with in our area, you stepped in to help mentor me. Without your help, I wouldnt even know about Judge Apps! In a more recent example, youve become known for the care you take for the artists at large events. Youre always looking for where youre most needed, thank you for being so attentive.
To Joel Goggin Recognized by Erik Mulvaney	At GP Vegas Joel was an amazing source of energy and positively. The weekend was a marathon and whenever I needed a pick-me-up, I was always able to go have a quick chat with Joel and was ready to go back to work. The best was watching Joel interact with the players and go out of his way to help them in any way he can. Joel truly understands customer service.
To John Alderfer Recognized by Wearn Chong	At GP Hong Kong, you demonstrated your keen grasp of policy when pointing out that problems arising from bad communication is not necessarily CPV, and also explaining the implications if it was. It’s one of those things that isn’t difficult to see but also not always immediately obvious. I look forward to having you as HJ at GP Sydney!
To John Alderfer Recognized by David Rappaport	What can’t be said about John Alderfer? John has been a constant leader, mentor, colleague, confidant, and friend for as long as I have known him. John is without a question an exemplar of excellence in the Program.
To John Alderfer Recognized by Jernej Lipovec	You’ve been always available when I had weird questions during tournaments and even though we mostly agreed you made me see the situation from different angle and broaden my understanding of issues.
To John Shannon Recognized by Monsuporn Lauhaphand	When I worked with you in Pro Tour, I found that the way you care other judges and mentor them are truly awesome. I wish I have an opportunity to work with you again in future.
To Jonah Kellman Recognized by Joe Hughto	The amount of time and energy you’re putting into the local community and Mystical Tutor is truly astounding. The WAG judge crew is as large and as active as it is largely because of the work you’ve done with judge classes and also just making it a fun place to be. In a completely different venue, Mystical Tutor simply wouldn’t be successful without you leading the Prezi team.
To Jonathan Celso Recognized by Jonah Kellman	Jon, working with you at the triple PPTQ was fantastic. Not only did you take care of any tasks that needed to be done, but you also caught the gaps before I did.
To Jonathan Orr Recognized by Ralph Colby	Thank you for your awesome support at the PTQ! You kept me in line and helped keep things moving. I know I overruled you but I completely agree with your gut instinct. My one bit of feedback from a player is don’t jump into assign penalties before an error has progressed. Give the players a chance to catch the error on their own. You only need to jump in if they progress the game further.
To Jonathan Orr Recognized by David Delgado	Nice job picking up your first Comp REL event with little notice. You did a great job HJing and where not afraid to ask for help when you did not know something. You always do a great job staying positive and your rules knowledge is top notch. Keep up the good work and good luck in Massachusetts.
To Jordan Trundy Recognized by Ben Eldridge	At the Worcester SCG Regional I found your performance to be exceptional.You were always keeping track of your own tasks without anyone having to remind you. In addition I caught you discussing calls with and mentoring newer judges on staff while still being ready and willing to ask more experienced judges if you had a question. This kind of mentoring is exceptional to me and I hope to see you continue it in the future.
To Jordan Trundy Recognized by Megan Linscott	Jordan, I always look forward to seeing you on a staff list. Your level of professionalism adds to every event Ive worked with you. Your unflappable good attitude and dedication to positive feedback always keep morale high, and it shows in your interactions with everyone at the event. Even as well as you always work, I always see you seeking out new learning opportunities to better yourself. You are one of the strongest L1s I know, and I have no doubt that youll be one of the strongest L2s.
To Joseph Achille Recognized by Craig Stambaugh	Joe, I am very impressed with the growth you have made as a judge in the past year. You have helped the Connecticut judge program grow by being great at events as well as mentoring outside of events. I hope to see more of you in the coming months, but don’t think that the work that you have done has gone unnoticed. Great job!
To Joshua Hudson Recognized by Brian Coval	Josh is a lone wolf in an area with almost no other judges. He regularly judges store-level events in central PA and is actively working toward L2 certification and the ability to help close the giant PPTQ staffing hole in the region. In a time when the program needs L2’s more than ever, he’s already well on his way. Keep pushing Josh, I expect you’ll be L2 by the time any rewards tied to this recognition arrive.
To Justin Purcell Recognized by Dan Collins	For a smoothly run set of PPTQs, adapting to being one judge short and still making sure that the events ran on time and we both got breaks.
To KB Bishop Recognized by Scott Neiwert	Keith – you recently worked your first major event, the SCG Invitational. You put in a lot of effort into making sure the event was as positive as possible – both for you, the judges around you, and most importantly the players you were serving. You went above and beyond expectations in your prep for that event.
To Mani Cavalieri Recognized by Christopher Wendelboe	Thank you for your help during one of my tougher judge calls during the Super Sunday Series at GP Providence. Not only were you able to step in to help without making me look bad when I wasn’t sure how to figure something out correctly, you knew exactly how to reconstruct what had happened, asked the right questions, and made sure that the proper answer was given from us. This then led us to having a great conversation after and me learning a valuable lesson.
To Mani Cavalieri Recognized by Michael Arrowsmith	“Hi Mani! Sometimes it is the smallest things that have the greatest impression on me. Sometimes people say or do something that they believe to be the correct thing to say or do at that time. (“”You did the… Thanks!””, “”Good job today””, “”thanks for the hard work””, etc) it is unfortunate, but it does not always come across as sincere. When you randomly came up to me to thank me for the hard your at INV Somerset, either you were sincere, or are really good at faking it ;-). That tiny interaction made a rough weekend into a happy experience for me. Thank you for your caring. Michael”
To Mani Cavalieri Recognized by Nicola DiPasquale	There were several points throughout the day at the recent SCG Invitational in NJ you brought to my attention as your team lead, which smoothed out our day despite hitting the ground running like we did. I have to say one of the most important was your management of the time extensions, which I never asked you to do. Round after round you managed those and coordinated with me to send judges to outstanding tables with time extensions, which really helped us manage turn around time during the event.
To Mani Cavalieri Recognized by Phillip Painter	Mani, at GP Vegas on Friday, you were able to alternate from being in a position of supervision in the morning, to a team member very fluidly. In addition, you showed initiative by noticing a problem with the pairings boards and then verifying with me how it should be fixed. I really appreciate the humility you displayed, and the ability to go from leading to following seamlessly. In addition, when I had a task like foil prize support, you were an invaluable asset to the event. Thank you Mani.
To Martin Schreiner Recognized by Alex Stratton	“Martin, Since I certified you for Level 1 the progress you have made despite being so busy with school, has been astounding. The project you did for your senior class on Net-Decking vs Home-brewing was very well done and I was happy to take part in it. Projects like this are what truly reflects the judge programs intentions of representing the game in a positive light and spreading a friendly message about it to others. I really hope you continue to play and judge throughout college and pursue competitive Rel experience as you have a lot offer to any event. Alex”
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Christopher Wendelboe	During the Super Sunday Series at GP Providence you continued to impress me with how awesome you are. You showed great initiative in volunteering for tasks as well as always looking for things to do to help the event run as smoothly as possible. You made my task of team leading very easy as any time I got caught up in something you were right there to make sure our team’s tasks were accomplished. Keep up the great work!
To Megan Linscott Recognized by AJ Kerrigan	An important quality for judges is to always make sure we are learning new things, and you take that to a higher degree. You always ask awesome questions and are open to interesting discussions. In addition, you are very good at encouraging those around you. Your general attitude towards judging keeps those around you excited, and in my personal discussions, you have been very helpful in both developing my own self-worth as a judge, as well as my ability to perform honest self-evaluations. Keep up the awesome work, and never stop getting better!
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Joe Hughto	The very first I worked with you, I knew that you were going to go far in the judge program. You have a confident and fun demeanor which is only ever helpful for events. I’ve always been happy to see you on staff for events. Then, you joined the Mystical Tutor project and demonstrated that your work is truly something amazing. You very quickly went from being a new member to being one of the most valuable people we have on the entire project. You truly just ‘get it’ as far as the judge program is concerned and I’m really excited to see what you do next.
To Mike Noss Recognized by Adena Chernosky	Mike was my scorekeeper for the Legacy Duel for Duals at Eternal Weekend. Our event was run on WER, which meant that fixed seating meant breaking a match and re-pairing it, something that is a little beyond the typical expectations of the program. We were also implementing a new software, which pushed pairings out to the players and also created a site with a list of outstanding tables for end of round. He worked closely with my logistics lead, and when the system wasn’t updating as effectively as we had hoped, he verified the outstanding tables and helped keep our rounds turning quickly. The time from our last slip coming in until the time the pairings were on their way to the boards was impressive, almost always within a minute. I don’t recall a single player coming up to report that his match results had been entered incorrectly during our entire tournament. On its own, this is noteworthy, but Mike was ALSO the scorekeeper for the PPTQ held in the back of the room. Mike’s attention to detail and superior knowledge of the program kept our event rounds turning quickly, and kept the players happy.
To Mike Noss Recognized by Daniel Lessoff	Thanks for being a resource and someone I can always look up to in the judge program. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to listen to my questions about how to be a better judge and how to recognize my mistakes, even outside the scope of tournaments we’ve worked together on.
To Mike Noss Recognized by John Byrne	Mike Noss goes above and beyond to educate judges and teach them how to provide players and TO with a great experience for tournaments. He educates in a constructive manor and providea ways to improve based on his own experience. Noss was a player at a tournament, and noted ways for myself to improve and then took the time afterwards to ensure not only that was told, but that the lesson sunk in. I have witnessed instances like this many times, and hope to see it continue because it helps judges, players and the community.
To Nathan Gellin Recognized by Joseph Steet	Nathan, you and Adam Stadelman contacted my store’s owners with a clear and specific proposal for additional events to run regularly and offered to judge them. This showed a fantastic amount of initiative and eagerness to judge, and interest in growing the community. Additionally, I want to commend you for your bravery, as newer L1’s I expect you were nervous coming to a store with multiple L2’s on staff, but your ideas were good and you didn’t shy away. Lastly, your teamwork was impeccable. You presented a unified front and neither of you were willing to accept credit without sharing it with your counterpart. This is exactly the kind of behavior I like to see in the program, keep it up!
To Nick Cook Recognized by Sean Hunt	Nick, I’ve heard only good things about your work in building the community in Potsdam and the surrounding areas. You have stood up to take a leadership role, above and beyond what we normally expect of judges at your level. Well done!
To Nick Coss Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Nick, I wanted to recognize your efforts to organize the judge conference in Philadelphia this summer. I don’t think there are many L1 judges I would trust to organize a conference, but your background as a TO and enthusiasm to make it a success convinced me. You wanted to take the conference concept to another level and were willing to invest your time and resources to make it stellar. This was above and beyond what I expected from a conference and from a conference organizer. Let’s do it again sometime!
To Nicola DiPasquale Recognized by Jared Sylva	“Nicola, I have seen an immense amount of growth from you over the past six months. You have really turned into someone that I can lean on and put in lynch pin positions at events. The best thing that I have seen is growth in your confidence and ability to support other judges. You have been an effective support for a day two Team Lead and I am seeing more and more of you positively impacting those around you at every event. Keep it up! Jared”
To Paul Baranay Recognized by AJ Kerrigan	From the moment I became a judge, you have been one of the most important mentors for me in terms of developing both my leadership skills and my policy knowledge. You are always open to having policy discussions, and you are very good at not only explaining decisions, but also the philosophy behind those decisions. In essence, you are a fantastic resource for someone who still has so much to learn.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by David Hibbs	For setting a high bar for your blog, and continually working to reach that bar. Your entries are valuable to a wide cross-section of judges, regardless of level. I know that your work here has pushed me to set my own goals; I only wish I was a fraction of the success reached with Bearz Repeating!
To Paul Baranay Recognized by DamiÃ¡n Hiller	“There are some people which you know well. People you know you can toss them any task and next time you hear about it, it’s going to be about it already been done, perhaps how it was done. And as HJ of an event where you have many things coming in and out of your plate at the same time, this kind of people are most valuable. Now, there’s people you don’t know can do that and impress you throughly and that’s what you’ve accomplished in GP Vegas. As TL of logistics for my split, I dropped more than I would usually ask from any TL and you fought back with great work ethic and solutions always taking problems away from me rather than bringing me others. This along with your great work as one of the orgnaizers of the very large NE judge conference and a great report following make it no question for me to recognize you in this wave. I’m very happy to see the judge you’ve gotten to be and hope to have been in some way of help along the path since I’ve met you and decided to appoint you as XO back to GP Miami from two years ago . Keep up the great work Bearz!”
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Kush Singhal	Bearz, thanks for taking the Northeast L2 Survey! I appreciate your effort towards making the Judge program better! I think your approach was great: the Google Survey format is easily accessible, the survey was short, while at the same time people had the opportunity to elaborate, and it was anonymous. Thanks!
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Jacob Kriner	The feedback you provided me in my L2 Certification review has been very insightful. It helped remind me of the importance of following through with my goals and networking with other colleagues. Thank you for your insight.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Louis Fernandes	Paul, your prolific writing about judging is informative and well-written, and I doff my cap at you for putting the time, energy, and effort into pulling all of that material together. It teaches, entertains, and makes me want to fire up my blog again. Thanks!
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Bryan Prillaman	“Bearz, I’m absolutely blown away by your blog, not only are the topics relevant, but they are varied in scope/subject, well written and, and this is the most amazing part, weekly! So many efforts begin with good intentions but die off. You have been able to maintain the same level of quality and excitement, after many months. Your ability to set a goal and follow through is outstanding. I especially appreciate that many of the topics are relevant regardless of Judge level; that alone shows you put a lot of thought into your topics “
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Adena Chernosky	I have always been impressed with the way Paul focuses on setting goals for each event, and encourages his staff to do the same. One of his goals at a recent event was that everyone both learn something and teach something to another judge. I thought this was a phenomenal idea, as it not only is a goal for himself, but allows the judges who have less experience setting goals to achieve a goal of their own by helping him achieve his. This masterful suggestion resulted in much more mentoring and “teaching moments” than at other events. Less experienced judges would shadow me during appeals, observing my investigative techniques and discussing my process afterwards. I also learned from the other judges on staff, and will definitely take those ideas to future events. Paul’s emphasis on goal setting helps us all to improve, and continues to build the judge program by improving the performance of everyone on staff.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Nicola DiPasquale	You could see that I was having a rough time in handling certain situations (with players/deck checks) and you still stepped out of your role as HJ to offer me some advice at the SCG Invitational in NJ.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Chase Culpon	“Bearz, the work and impact you have on the program is obvious and immense. From being a leader at events and conferences, keeping one of the most active blogs in the program, and leading the charge of bringing up new L2s, you’ve helped drive all of us judges, especially those you touch in the northeast, to new heights. But what I want to recognize isn’t something you’ve done for the program, but something you did for me on a personal level. After I handled a particularly difficult situation at a GP that really shook me up, you followed up personally at the event and afterwards, including multiple phone calls at ungodly hours. It really helped, and turned a situation that could’ve soured my experience with large events into something I could deal with. Thanks for being there for me, and so many others, Chase”
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Paul, I wanted to recognize your efforts with the L2 candidates in the region. You have helped them organize their pre-test requirements with the submission form. You have welcomed to Level 2 with an informational letter. You have made sure that good L1 judges that wanted a new challenge would get to where they want to be. Thank you for all your hard work in this area (and many others).
To Pi Fisher Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Pi, I wanted to think you for your participation on the regional Facebook group. Though the group doesn’t have a bunch of rules/policy discussions, you have been a big contributor to them, as you are willing to post interesting questions and offer your opinions in the discussions. Thanks for making the FB group more interesting!
To Pi Fisher Recognized by John Alderfer	Thank you for your feedback about the pace of how I handled your appeal. Your observation that I should slow down to avoid making the players feel like they were an interruption on my way to something else is something that should be kept in mind for all rulings.
To Pi Fisher Recognized by Yonatan Kamensky	Pi, I want to recognize the way you handled a very difficult situation in Montreal. Someone had given you harsh feedback, and you came to me for help processing it. You didnt name names or get defensive in any way, instead focusing on doing what you could to come to terms. Im glad I was able to connect you with someone more able to help than I, and I admire the degree of courage and tact you maintained throughout. The strength it took to do that is truly exemplary.
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by William Anderson	You bring a great deal of energy to events. Whether it is a judge conference or a Grand Prix, your energy and enthusiasm really add to the event. It’s good to see judges actively and excitedly involved in discussion, high-fives, and the task at hand. I think more judges should try to copy this.
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Kush Singhal	Thanks for talking with the TO about adhering to their street release date. It’s definitely an unpleasant conversation to have with one of your “potential employers,” but I’m glad you were able to change their behavior. Thanks!
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Chase Culpon	Rich, you were outstanding at the Comic Book Depot PPTQ back in June. You stepped up big time when facing a potentially difficult situation–the TO leaving for a family emergency and a head judge (me) being in poor physical shape. Throughout the day you did what needed doing without prompting–taking calls, taking down pairings, being on top of EOR, and helping the store employee figure out how to use WER for competitive events. You showed a fluency with the IPG far beyond what’s expected from your level, and positively interacted with players and staff all day long. Keep up the great work!
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Autumn Cook	You defused an incredibly awkward encounter I had with a player. You did so gracefully and with skill, and I believe the player walked away content. Great job!
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Rich, Thank you for doing an awesome job at GP: Providence. You hustled a ton doing setup on Thursday. During the GP, I had multiple judges tell me that you were doing great on sides. One specific incident stood out in my mind from that GP. We were having sound equipment trouble on Friday due to an issue with the venue, not a sound system issue. You came up to me, told me that you had expertise in this area, and gave me a rundown of what you thought wasn’t correctly set up. You weren’t afraid to bring up suggestions on how something could go better, and specific things that we could try to get better. When we looked at it, and it turned out that the system was correctly set up, you admitted that you were wrong. That demonstrated to me that you were willing to give specific feedback, to lay out a plan on how to correct a possible issue, and the maturity to accept that you were wrong when presented with a fact that you weren’t aware of. All of those are very important traits for helping others become better, and I hope that you can keep helping others get better.”
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Mani Cavalieri	It was a pleasure having you on my team for my first official Team Lead. The beginning of the day was stressful for our team at the Modern PIQ during the Invi/Open weekend at Somerset this year, and we all struggled under it. While I could see you were still learning how to manage the stresses of the situation at times – something we all do, regardless of level – the fact remains that you were always ready to execute on a task when I needed you, and that you were constantly eager to make yourself available to me. There wasn’t a task I handed you that didn’t get done when it needed to get done, and there wasn’t any moment where I needed you and you weren’t there. Keep that up, and you will continue to be a great asset to any event you’re on.
To Rich Marin Recognized by Jonathan Reasoner	Rich, you are a very strong judge and it was truly a pleasure to work with you at the PPTQ. Not only did you apply when you saw that I needed help for the event, but you did it at the risk of low comp, (which thankfully didn’t happen) and driving nearly an hour to the venue. You are a knowledgeable, talented judge well on your way to good things in the program.
To Rick Salamin Recognized by Carlos Ho	Rick, your work in GP MontrÃ©al was simply amazing. You could see how much impact you had on the rest of the judges by how everyone clapped and cheered when we recognized you during dinner on Sunday. Thank you very much.
To Riva Arecol – Nathan Rich Recognized by Ian Taylor	Several times I had seen Riva travel ridiculous distances to cover events at the last minute. I saw someone that is willing to travel that far and that shows a judge that cares about the judging rather than the money. Someone that wants to get more experience, to challenge himself, and show how far he is willing to go to achieve his goals.
To Rob Castellon Recognized by Benjamin McDole	Rob, I want to thank you for the excellent work you did on the AMTR. You were responsible for writing up the largest number of sections and you did it quickly, accurately, and early. On top of all that you ended up writing up the sections of someone who had abandoned the project, and still finished those prior to some others finishing their first sections. Thank you for the great work!
To Rodney Bedell Recognized by Ben Eldridge	You certified on Saturday August 29th and on Sunday August 30th you were already handling judging at your first Modern IQ. I was impressed by your ability to handle so many new jobs from answering calls, to doing deck checks and filling in where ever you were needed. If I wasn’t told this was your first event I would have never have known and I look forward to working with you at future events.
To Sam Barrows Recognized by Christopher Wendelboe	You have grown a lot as a judge over the past 6 months that I’ve known you. The difference between where you were the first time we worked together, and how composed you were at SCG Worcester was amazing to see, and I cannot wait to see how well you do with even more experience. You really impressed me with your ability to identify areas for self improvement and then to work on them over the course of an event. Keep up the good work!
To Steve Carpenter Recognized by Ben Eldridge	During the invitational this weekend you lent a very expensive legacy event to a fellow judge and unfortunately this deck was lost or stolen. I’d like to recognize the way you handled this terrible event. You didn’t let it effect your work and you didn’t take it out on your fellow judges instead you took care of it an Kept on working. I’m not sure most people could have done this and I wanted to recognize just how impressed I was by your ability to do this.
To Steve Guillerm Recognized by Jonah Kellman	At GP Providence, our TL was having an off day and was brief with his instructions. You talked with him to make sure you knew what he wanted the rest of us to be doing, and then made sure that information was effectively communicated to the rest of us
To Steve Guillerm Recognized by Paul Baranay	Steve, you always bring a novel and valuable perspective to judging discussions. You’re unafraid to speak your mind, but you also are open to other viewpoints, admitting you were wrong, and changing your mind. I’m also excited that you’re taking on more leadership responsibilities, such as Head Judging the PPTQ during Eternal Weekend.
To Terrence Cheung Recognized by Shawn Doherty	“Terrence, I wanted to recognize you for your efforts to help out a local store up in Canada. Over a year ago, you came across a store while you were on vacation. You saw they they were inexperienced and saw an opportunity to help them out. You gave them help at the event, then reached out online to see if they could a judge certified. Even when things didn’t move along well, you continued to followup, offering help. Though this may not have lead to a new certified judge (yet!), I’m sure it had a positive impact on the local community there. Keep up the good work!”
To Terrence Cheung Recognized by Adena Chernosky	Terrence was on my Deckchecks team at the Legacy PIQ in Somerset. His performance was over and above what I would have expected from an L1 who had never worked a Legacy event, and even above what I would expect of a brand new L2. As an example, he showed great attention to detail when counting the lists and verifying the cards on them, and found several potential errors that led to DDLP penalties when deckchecks were performed. His attitude and his eagerness to learn and help were refreshing, and although he was nervous about judging an unfamiliar format he answered judge calls with ease. In order to prepare for the event, he had taken the extra step of reading the format primer, which shows a dedication to providing the best possible customer service. While Terrence was on his break, he noticed a suspicious trade in the back of the venue that looked like it might be a cash transaction. Since he wasn’t in uniform, he was able to observe their behavior without arousing suspicion. His actions throughout the day went well above simply “doing his job”, which is the very definition of exemplary performance.
To Terrence Cheung Recognized by Benjamin Klein	You came to the Star City Games Open Series: New Jersey event yesterday (Sunday August 30th 2015) with a lot of energy and enthusiasm which is really important on a Sunday when much of the judge staff was working their third day of the event and showing a bit of wear. I didn’t get to work with you all day, but your effort to get through the large task of counting lists and moving on to the work of checking the decks did not escape notice. It was clear from where I sat that you wanted to not only do the work you were asked to do, but to be an asset to your team and that is what we should all try to do to make tournaments run better.
To Thomas Davis Recognized by Phil Rose	Tom, after I had a rough experience and was questioning my future with the Judge Program, you convinced me to attend the Northeast Judge Conference anyway to have a good time. During that trip, you went out of your way to make sure I felt included and was having fun. You’re a great judge and a great friend.
To Thomas Davis Recognized by Ilan Seid-Green	“You did two things I thought were exemplary while Head Judging at SCG DC. The first is that you made sure to look after your judges, and took exceptional time and energy to make certain I knew you thought I was doing a good job. Any time we discussed something I could be doing better and every time I looked stressed or disheartened, you reminded me that you thought I was doing well. I really appreciated that, especially given how stressful the day was. In the end we killed it, but keeping your staff’s spirits up is exceedingly important and can be very difficult. At the end of the day, you told me about a Match Loss you gave for Outside Assistance. After you issued it you decided it was incorrect. Not only did you admit to your mistake, which can be difficult enough, but you sought out the player to sit down and explain to them that you were wrong. That is an extremely difficult thing to do but makes a huge difference. A judge who has the strength of character and the compassion that these actions showed is the kind of judge I try to model myself after.”
To Thomas Davis Recognized by Benjamin Harris	Tom, I really want to thank you for all the help you’ve given me over the past year and a half. It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t even know what Magic was, let alone how the rules worked. Because of your help, I was able to gain the knowledge and experience I needed to get me to the level where I can give you this recognition. After all you’ve given to help me, I’m glad I can give a little something back. Thanks Tom!
To Thomas Davis Recognized by Riki Hayashi	Not only was your Tournament Report well written and informative, it was incredibly brave the way you tackled the subject matter. It’s clear that this was not an easy tournament for you. I’m glad that you chose to write about the experience. http://apps.magicjudges.org/forum/topic/20720/
To William Anderson Recognized by Eric Shukan	Will has provided several pieces of data and tips in some high-level investigations. He cares about the community and is willing to go to extra lengths to make sure information is flowing. IC apprecitaes his help!
To William Anderson Recognized by Kevin Desprez	“Will, I’ve been extremely impressed by the skills you’ve demonstrated during GP Providence. First, there was this complicated card counting situation which you likely handled perfectly, considering you haven’t been appealed, which almost always happens 🙂 But there’s mostly this sentence that hit me the most: We have so few opportunities for mentoring these days that it’s important Team Leaders don’t fall into corner cases but educate judges on general and broad aspects of our policies. This understanding of leading is stellar! Kevin.”
To William Barber Recognized by Christopher Cahill	William, you did an amazing job this weekend at the SCG Invitational. Considering that this was your first large event, you had no issues understanding what needed to be done and getting the job done. I never had to find you to get our pairings out, and more than that, you recognized when others were too tied up to take down pairings at the end of the round, and took care of it without being asked. If I hadn’t know that this was your first SCG event, I would not have been able to tell! You made team leading easy.
To wynter howland Recognized by Joe Hughto	You do a very good job of running smooth, low-key events. You bring a lot to the judge program and I know that players really enjoy the environment that you foster. Keep up the good work.