Exemplar 6 - USA - Northeast - Northeast USA Judge Family

To Zachary Apony Recognized by Christopher Cahill	Zach, at GP NY on Sunday ODEs, I witnessed you going out of your way to engage your fellow side judges in some great rules and policy discussions via the “token game.” ODE judging can often end up becoming a bunch of ships passing by each other. Observing you taking the action to lead engaging activities to bring those ships together was great. I am sure your peers’ day was made better because of it!
To Benjamin Coursey Recognized by Jason Wong	At GP Montreal 2015, Ben was on my “Pool Registration” team. Without my asking, he took point on finding a garbage bin and coordinating garbage disposal during the entire day. He was also one of the hardest workers, registering pools nonstop without complaint, even as target number of pools was increased several times over. He was definitely the MVP on my team.
To Jeffrey Emery Recognized by Jonah Kellman	Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. You dove right into the production of Prezi’s for Mystical Tutor. While it wasn’t your first choice, you have approached the project with great gusto. Your content is consistently of high quality and on time, both of which are immensely appreciated.
To Brian Paskoff Recognized by Steven Zwanger	Brian, regularly organizing a “Cat Draft” to raise money for charity shows a willingness to work selflessly for the sake of others less fortunate than yourself. It’s also effective at raising the local profile of the Magic community and boosting the hobby’s reputation.
To Benjamin Coursey Recognized by Kali Rainwater	Judges on the main event weren’t the only ones contributing to the positive player experience at GP Charlotte! Benjamin was helping me judge the 1PM Standard Challenge on Sunday, and one of our players was a young mother with her infant daughter. When the baby started screaming, Benjamin stepped up and did his best to distract her, calming her down and providing a better play experience for both the mother and the players around her.
To Dan Collins Recognized by Jon Goud	The 1pm Sealed on Sunday at GP Charlotte had the potential to go completely off the rails. Unclear instructions and a sub-optimal decision on how to handle the extremely high percentage of drops resulted in approximately 70 no-shows in round 1 of a 400-player tournament. Matches were unable to be corrected and slips get out to players before the end of the round. Dan took the initiative set himself as a human results collection station and collected data on paper to report to the scorekeeper. Without Dan’s ability to identify a problem and become the solution we would have lost dozens of results from round 1. The cascade delay effect from that would have seriously impacted player’s enjoyment of the tournament. Great work on keeping things on track Dan!
To Terrence Cheung Recognized by Paul Baranay	Terrence, I’d like to commend you for your mentorship, which goes well beyond certifying new judges and into ensuring that they are well-positioned to succeed. You have used your position as a co-owner/tournament organizer for Nebulous Gaming to transform Nebulous into a great training grounds for new judges looking for structured opportunities. Beyond this, I’m impressed that you are acutely aware of your limits, and avoid taking on more than you can handle. (I still remember your playful metaphor of saying you only have “one incubator” for an L1 right now.) Finally, I love that you’ve leveraged your graphic design skills and take the extra step of posting photos of judges you certify in our region’s Facebook group. This not only gives them a Judge Center/JudgeApps photo, but really adds some flair to the sea of “welcome to the Northeast!” posts.
To Rodney Bedell Recognized by Christopher Wendelboe	You were super helpful at the Nashua PPTQ. Once again the event at this location was much larger than expected, and luckily you were able and willing to step up and help make it a great experience for the players. You ensured great floor coverage and timely deck checks, and I couldn’t have had this event be as successful as it was without you! Good job!
To Rob Castellon Recognized by Christopher Wendelboe	You did an amazing job as the results team lead on Saturday of GP Charlotte. This event had a lot of issues that we had to overcome, and you helped our team do it through your attitude. Not only did you keep the mood cheerful despite the issues, you also did an absurdly good job with communication and making sure that our team rocked this event! Super excited to work with you again!
To Eric Smith Recognized by Lamberto Franco	Your energy and enthusiasm are truly impressive. I’ve worked with you 2 days in a row, and beside all the difficulties and the long hours, I never saw your smile go away. You really inspired me and pushed me to work better and keep a smile too. As a Team Leader, you’ve been a true member of the team, keeping us on your same level and working all the day together. Thanks a lot for all of that 🙂
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Kevin Desprez	“Paul, Noticing when someone isn’t on top of things is easy. Managing them properly is a rare skill. Thanks for subtly putting me back on tracks on Friday in LA. This really enhanced the rest of my week-end. Kevin.”
To Nicola DiPasquale Recognized by Pakhawadee Palungwachira	“I was very impressed with you in GP Washington DC. It was such a pleasure to judge with you. You were always near to lead me when I feel confused in a different country and culture, and you knew how to make this day a great day for me. You gave me the atmosphere that I felt comfortable talking to you. Your experience and skills are above the average. But overall, the good mood that you always have, even when trying to be serious ! Thanks for showing me great hospitality during GP’s time “
To Jonah Kellman Recognized by Christopher Cahill	Jonah, I want to let you know how invaluable your presence is to both getting the ball rolling on our monthly meetups, but also in assisting each month with choosing topics, contacting speakers and generating the webform for sign-ups. You make the task of continuing to schedule and run these meetings significantly easier. Thank you!
To Yonatan Kamensky Recognized by Sean Calvo	“Yoni, I wanted to recognize you for your mentorship that you provided me over the past couple PPTQs that we worked together. I feel that you went the extra mile to not only ensure that I was prepared for the events themselves, but helped review the event afterwards in a manner that set me up to think like a Head Judge myself for future Competitive events. Specifically, your discussion about owning my rulings while still being respectful of both players during the appeal in Abington with the player who had drawn for turn but then wanted to rewind to his opponent’s end step has stuck with me as a way to both balance my own authority with the feelings and perspectives of both sides of a judge call. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the future!”
To Matt Cooper Recognized by Jonah Kellman	Matt, you really impressed me at EE4. Not only do you have a very solid understanding of the underlying philosophy of the IPG, but you seamlessly stepped in when your Team Lead was on break, which is exceptionally impressive, given that this was only your second large competitive event! Keep up the great work, and I can’t wait to see where you go.
To Mani Cavalieri Recognized by Jonah Kellman	Mani – you keep me honest. You disagree with me and argue against my ideas and my understanding of philosophy. At the EE5k you head judges in Connecticut we debated mentorship techniques, and it made me think. At NYSE we discussed leadership and the importance of communication, and it made me think. After the Eternal Extravaganza weekend, you challenged me on my presentation of feedback, and it made me think. You force me to think more, to re-evaluate, to defend my conclusions. I don’t know where I’d be in the Judge program if you weren’t a part of it, and I’m glad that’s the case.
To AJ Kerrigan Recognized by Yonatan Kamensky	AJ, when my application was denied for an event you were HJing, I asked for feedback as I usually do. The responses are almost invariably vague, quoting application numbers are suggesting contact with an RC. Instead, you took the time to give a detailed and considered treatment of your thoughts, as well as what you had heard from others. In doing so, you displayed a level of professional courtesy I’ve rarely seen in the Judge Program – all the more so because we’ve never worked closely together, and don’t have an established relationship. It’s because of this that I feel comfortable writing this recognition, because I trust you made no special effort of favoritism. To be certain, the way you were able to give feedback in detailed and helpful terms is now the standard I hope to attain for myself, and encourage the larger community to learn. Thank you.
To Russell Deutsch Recognized by Bartłomiej Wieszok	You wrote really exquisite report from Grand Prix Trail that you was head judging. It raised great discussion on apps forum and you were actively engaged in that discussion and learned something new in matter of policy and philosophy. That all because your report from “insignificant” GPT. Reports are one of the best way to see how things are handled by others judges around the world, and great opportunity to learn new things without going outside of your home. It’s great to see level 1 judge who can wrote good reports, discuss them and learn from them. Keep it up and encourage others to write their own reports 🙂
To Zane Knapp Recognized by John Alderfer	Zane, playing in GP Columbus, you received a ruling in your favor that you knew was incorrect. By appealing (assuming that the ruling would be overturned), you chose integrity over personal gain. Thank you – this type of attitude is truly exemplary, and the discussion that I heard after the fact reflected well on not just you, but judges in general.
To Christopher Rumore Recognized by Eric Dustin Brown	Mount Crushmore! While working side events on Saturday at GP New York I kept hearing your voice over the crowd and every time I turned to look what was happening I saw players having a good time. Watching you firing ODEs was watching someone be the epitome of high-energy and fun at a Grand Prix. I hope you continue to take this energy with you to future events.
To Trevor Gulley Recognized by Chris Lansdell	Trevor would be worthy of this recognition for the long distances he drives to help out at events in his judge-light area of the country and his continued drive to make it to L2, but when you add in his work with the MTG Community Calendar (an underused and underappreciated tool and podcast) and with CardConfidants.com I think he is going well above and beyond what we expect from a level 1 judge.
To Joseph Steet Recognized by Chris Lansdell	I write a lot of reviews. Joe has me blown away with not only the quantity of reviews he writes, but also the fact that they are all well-considered and therefore valuable.
To Steve Guillerm Recognized by Steven Zwanger	On Facebook earlier this year there was a discussion about a judge call involving Ghostly Prison and the defending player’s planeswalker. You turned the discussion towards NAP’s understanding of what AP was doing (rather than AP’s explicit knowledge of what AP was doing) and demonstrated that in an investigation, a judge has to examine a player’s awareness of more than just the words that were spoken.
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Marcos Sanchez	Charles, this exemplar is for your continued determination to do great things in the program. I’ve personally been able to view this as a part of the Customer Service project we’ve both been on since last year. You’re always present with insightful and meaningful ideas and discussions, and recently stepped up to work towards organizing new ways for the project to succeed after being dormant for a while. That kind of leadership helps bring people together in the project, and further proves your ability to inspire and lead. Thank you for all that you do Charles, and keep it up.
To Abby Kraycar Recognized by Eric Dustin Brown	The Goals Board! I think it’s amazing when a judge has a new idea to help their event. It’s even better when a judge has an idea and takes the initiative to make it happen. The white board and pens you brought to SCG Worcester was an example of exactly this. A shared space for people to share their goals and help their fellow judges achieve them is the kind of positive feedback and encouragement I love to see in the program. I will absolutely be bringing this back to the Mid Atlantic. Thank you for the inspiration.
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Benjamin Coursey	“Ben, When I had a PTQ to Organize, you helped me a great deal. At the time I had very little experience with events of that size and caliber. Not only did you Head Judge the event, but you walked me through the whole process, of staff selection, making sure certain things were in place that I honestly at the time would not have thought of. Even on the day of, many a fire were extinguished before they could be lit. That event went on to be one of the best NH has ever seen. Thanks for everything :)”
To Ben Eldridge Recognized by Rob Castellon	“Ben, you were a rockstar on my deck checks team at SCG Worcester. We were understaffed and tasked with 540 players across two events. You were the most experienced judge on my team, and you really stepped up to the plate. Obviously you did all the normal tasks well, but what really impressed me was the additional responsibilities you took on without being asked. Throughout the day, you mentored the new judge exceptionally well. You showed him the ropes on deck checks, swooping, and just made him comfortable with the event. He was nervous at the start of the day, and by the end he was confident. You played a large role in that. In addition, I was impressed in Round Two, when I was assisting the HJ disqualify a player. You realized I would be indisposed for an extended period of time, and got the other two judges back to work after I had left them task-less. At the end of the day, both Classic HJs were thoroughly impressed that we managed to get 10% of the field checked, despite being pulled off checks for multiple rounds to assist with floor coverage. They gave me all the credit, when in reality you deserved a lot of it.”
To Nick Casali Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Nick, Thank you for building a Commander community at your local store from scratch. You’ve been a staunch supporter and promoter of the format. You’re there every week, almost always early, and you are enthusiastic about the format. A player showed up one week and didn’t have a deck, and you let them borrow yours so they could play. You even created a cube for the community to draft with. The Magic scene at that store has gone from quiet Saturdays to 10+ regulars thanks to your efforts. Keep growing Magic!”
To Jeremy Smith Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Jeremy, At GP: New Jersey, I noticed there were several rounds that you were doing an awesome job at floor coverage. The venue had 2 central aisles that cut the venue into quarters. Most of the main event judges kept clumping up in the center aisle, so if a player on that side of the row had a question, they got a prompt answer. You were all alone on the far side of the aisle, making sure that the corner away from the judges clumping was covered. I appreciate your dedication to doing the right thing for the event in not creating a black hole and making sure the players could get prompt answers to any questions.”
To Rob Castellon Recognized by Benjamin Coursey	“Rob, On a few events you swooped in at the last minute and saved the day. There was the enormous PTQ that ended up being under staffed, and a PPTQ that needed a Judge last minute. That PTQ went very smoothly, and the PPTQ happened. Each of those events were saved in part or entirely by you, it was a huge relief off my shoulders. Thank you so much for everything.”
To Michael Bauman Recognized by Joseph Steet	Mike, you always strive to provide the best player experience to your store’s customers, continually going above and beyond. Perhaps the best example of you going literally the extra miles, was the time your store needed an L2 to HJ a pptq, rather than cancel it, you drove nearly four hours into Canada on a Tuesday in order to test for L2 (and fortunately you passed too, otherwise this would have been incredibly awkward) and then four hours back. Keep up the great work, I know your local players appreciate it!
To Edgar Hinton Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Edgar, At the prerelease, you had a call from a player who felt their opponent was unsporting towards them. You handled that really well in key areas: -You listened to their complaint and gathered the relevant info from the complaining player. This is really important, since it’s easy to dismiss the complaint. That can ruin a player’s experience, as they would see, “”I didn’t like this thing that someone else did. The judge didn’t do anything or take my complaint seriously.”” It’s a serious problem when we are trying to create a welcoming environment. -You spoke to previous opponents to see if this was a habit and get more info on the history for the event. -You followed up with the player who complained and let them know that you looked into it. It’s easy to view “”this person was kinda rude, and I didn’t really like them”” as a case of a player being cranky and ignore it. You did the right thing by acknowledging it. You then took the extra steps to get all of the info, make a determination, and then followed up with the players.”
To Shawn Doherty Recognized by John Alderfer	Stepping into the RC position, I had no real idea what I was going to discover. Fortunately, I inherited a region with strong leaders in positions that enable them to keep things running smoothly. After nearly 5 years in this position, I blame you for this – thank you for your long service as USA Northeast RC.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by John Alderfer	Jumping into RC, I suddenly became aware of the myriad great projects that are happening in the Northeast, and it was amazing to me how many of them had your fingerprints on them somewhere. From the massive scale project that is Apps down to smaller things like helping to coordinate our leadership conference, thank you for all that you do and know that I will try to support you as best I can.
To Zachary Apony Recognized by Eliana Rabinowitz	For GP Pittsburgh, you volunteered to be a judge buddy mentor. Once paired with a buddy, you made it a point to contact and talk to your buddy, and I’m told that you provided really great advice and feedback. In addition, though, you worked setup with another judge who had a judge buddy mentor who was not able to spend time with him in the first couple days of the event. That judge told me that you, without anyone asking you to, took him under your wing and shared advice over lunch and throughout the day. Thank you for your dedication and care in mentoring less experienced judges. You made a big difference for both of the judges you mentored, and they had a really positive GP in part because of your guidance.
To Gilbert Medeiros Recognized by Eliana Rabinowitz	For GP Pittsburgh, after I posted the call for judge buddy volunteers, you immediately contacted me about making sure that in addition to contacting each other before the event, buddies on GP Pittsburgh would have an opportunity to work together on the event as much as possible. After I compiled the list of participants, you made sure that each pair would have a chance to work together. Despite being really busy with the event, you even took on mentoring a buddy yourself. Thank you for taking the initiative in maximizing opportunities for buddies to work together. You realized you could help and volunteered to do so, and that made GP Pittsburgh outstanding for the judge buddy pairs. The feedback from the program was overwhelmingly positive for this event, in part thanks to your work. Thank you for your dedication to mentorship!
To Joshua Bryant Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Joshua, You did a great job of getting Martin ready for his L1 test and for the IQ that we judged on Eldritch Moon release weekend. He was there, he was prepared to go, and he did a better job at a Comp REL event than I expected. You had a ton of players who spoke to you about becoming a judge, and that reflects well on how players feel about your ability to make people better. I know that you are trying to build up your judge community at The Whiz, and I’m really looking forward to you getting to L2 so you can test them yourself.”
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Casey Brefka	Charles, you brought up a question in the Northeast Judge group first to clarify how the fix for HCE works for yourself, but in that discussion, it led us all to realize that the wording was a little ambiguous and could be confusing. Thanks to that discussion, the wording is being changed in the next update to make it more clear about what exactly should be done. Those are the kind of discoveries that are rarely noticed by most people, but are really important in helping the program maintain consistency of rulings and judge actions in games. Thanks for asking an excellent question!
To Alfred Dziewit Recognized by Gilbert Medeiros	Alfred, at our pPTQ at Battlegrounds you showed great effort in making sure every player was taken care of. Your efforts throughout the day were that of a judge with much more experience. I especially appreciated how you communicated with the player who was less than happy with the game loss they received for Deck Decklist Error.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by John Alderfer	Joe, thank you for your leadership in the Northeast US Region. So many things that are happening in the Northeast are there because you helped – from setting up our Slack channels, to creating projects like Mystical Tutor. We are lucky to have you driving projects and initiatives to make judging better in our region, and I hope you know that I will do what I can to support you.
To Dan Collins Recognized by John Alderfer	Dan, since I stepped into the RC role, I have been impressed by the things that I’ve seen you taking the lead on, up to and including the coordination of the US NE Conferences. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
To Chase Culpon Recognized by John Alderfer	Chase, I greatly appreciate your coordination of the PPTQ documents for the US NE Region. It allows the region to work more effectively with stores and amongst themselves.
To Megan Linscott Recognized by John Alderfer	Megan, your suggestion to change how the NE US Region featured Exemplar recognitions for this past wave by highlighting qualities instead of just individuals was a wonderful twist. I have heard multiple compliments about this – thank you!
To Timothy Mack Recognized by Joshua Hudson	Tim, in an emergency situation of illness you stepped up to the bat 15 hours before the start of an event, dropped your Saturday plans, and did a terrific job of running an event. After speaking with a few players and the local store owner they were happy to have you so not only did you step up when needed you also did it with great skill. Great job!
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Frank Singel	“Paul, you’ve been doing an excellent job of maintaining Judgeapps. Every time there’s any sort of issue with the site, you’re always on top of it and have the site back running in a timely manner (ignoring host issues, of course). Also, I know you feel as though your Enhancement Mondays have fallen upon deaf ears, but they’ve always served as excellent examples of how manageable some of the improvements are to do. They’re excellent motivational tools because they’ve made me realize just how easy it can be to contribute.”
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Ally Robertson	Megan, thank you for being so welcoming! I was worried that when I moved to Maine, I would have to cut back on judging, but I’ve since learned that it’s more the opposite. You made sure I was staffed for two PPTQs the first two weekends I was here and connected me with many TOs and other amazing judges. I am very excited to work with you and to help the Magic community in Maine be the best it can be.
To Trevor Gulley Recognized by Andrew Rudiger	Trevor, you don’t always think highly enough of yourself and I want to give you this recognition to tell you that you are a very good judge. I read your commentary on the community, I follow your event calendars, I see all the events you go to. You drove hours out of your way to go to an RPTQ because your staffing request was unclear and it was worth it to you to keep connected with the community and be there if you were needed. No matter what happens, always remember that you’re doing a great job and we need more judges like you.
To Rick Salamin Recognized by David de la Iglesia	I keep being amazed with your attention to detail and with your reliability in the judge projects we work on together. Despite your recent focus on other matters when it comes to judging you still keep an eye open for stuff that is important for the projects, and you keep again and again proving how much initiative you are able to display. Examples that come to mind are getting the Ohio judge conference pic published, and very specially the improvement of using the GP Logos on recent GP staff pics. I also would like to thank you for your help recruiting new blood for some of our projects. At some point we were even considering letting some of those projects die, but you persevered and were instrumental in identifying who would be a good candidate for you to pass the torch on. Thanks!
To Nicola DiPasquale Recognized by Kevin Desprez	“Nicola, Your help during GP Pittsburgh’s investigation was invaluable. On top of realizing what was going on at this table and having great reasons to suspect Cheating, you fetched me with a clear story which I could easily rely on to gather additional information. Also, even after we DQed the player, he wrote that he felt you have been extremely careful and helpful while he was writing his statement. Keep up the great work you’ve been doing lately! 🙂 Kevin.”
To John Alderfer Recognized by Joe Wiesenberg	“John, this recommendation comes to you from Joe Sapp: “”Alderfer, You are the grossly Un-sung hero of our GP’s. You are a man of many talents, and sadly it often goes Un-noticed. You are not only a jovial man with a fine mustache, you are also a quiet leader. You’ve become my mentor this year, and I’ve learned so much about the nuts and bolts of GP’s from you. You know all the small, crucial pieces of information that keep the ship afloat. Your efforts, your candor, and your skills are greatly appreciated. Thank you for being an incredible mentor, and an absolute joy to be around.”””
To Bryan Paduano Recognized by Kush Singhal	Bryan, thank you for being proactive about constantly giving me feedback! We talked a little about this – it’s great that your feedback is meaningful with examples of “you did X well” and “you could use improvement with Y.” My judging is predominantly done at PPTQs (without other judges on staff) so this feedback means a lot to me, and I appreciate it! Thanks!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Nicholas Sabin	Joe, I wanted to thank you for our chats at SCG Worcester — particularly, if you recall, on Sunday morning. I was mildly tilted off some negative interactions I had with another judge on staff, and I was able to vent to you about those. You provided some useful context and perspective, and helped me get back to the point where I could be effective. I appreciate having a trusted peer like you in the program, someone I can be candid with. Thank you for helping me.
To Jeffrey Emery Recognized by Nicholas Sabin	Hey Jeff, this nomination is in recognition of the awesome work you put forth at SCG Worcester. You were a late addition to the event on Saturday, and we needed you most on Side Events. You dove into that role with vigor and enthusiasm, and were super-flexible about getting the job done all weekend long. Your attitude was remarkable; you saw an opportunity to prove yourself as a valuable asset and, by all accounts, you succeeded. Thank you for being awesome!
To Abby Kraycar Recognized by Nicholas Sabin	Hey Abby, I wanted to take a moment to recognize you for the amazing idea you had in presenting a goals board at SCG Worcester. I’ve been judging for more than twelve years, and I’ve never seen anything like it. The way it impacted staff cohesion and morale was simply outstanding, and it’s an idea I know at least one L3 in my region is stealing. (Literally, EDB told me he bought a white board yesterday.) Keep being an awesome judge!
To Brent Koontz Recognized by Erik Morton	Brent, Peter asked me to recognize your work in the PA area. He had the following words to say: While not an area or regional captain, you’ve taken the role of managing many small stores and judges in a rather remote area that borders between two regions. You’ve helped immensely with getting other L1s experience in smaller events, providing them relevant feedback and mentoring, and establishing relationships with many stores new to competitive magic. Your exemplary efforts make it possible for players and judges alike to enjoy this great game at the competitive level.
To Abby Kraycar Recognized by Joseph Steet	The dream board of judge goals at events was a wonderful idea. It helps show and remind people of other’s goals and how they’re doing towards accomplishing them (or if they could use help!). Fantastic community building!
To Trevor Gulley Recognized by Paul Baranay	Trevor, thanks for being a standout team member at NYSE. Near the end of the event, you asked me for your opinion on ruling you’d made earlier that round. As you say, you made what you’ve self-described as a “bad call”, and I explained how you could have handled it better. Being corrected by the Head Judge can often be scary, but you took it in stride and didn’t let it affect your performance for the rest of the event. Later, you used your experiences at NYSE – including that call – as an opportunity to “review up” and give me some great feedback. You correctly identified a way that I could have improved our break schedule, and I’m grateful that you wrote that area for improvement into a formal review. Keep on keeping on!
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by Paul Baranay	Adam, this nomination is to recognize your excellence in mentorship. A couple weeks ago, you asked me for your opinion on an interaction you had with one of your (many) mentees. You were trying to give this judge some radically candid feedback, but wanted to know whether you came on too strong. We discussed the conversation in detail and you were receptive to my suggestions about how you could improve in the future. Additionally, I recently learned that you meet with one of your mentees in-person every week. My impression is that these conversations have tremendous value, and I admire that you’re so dedicated to helping judges you certify. Kudos!
To Elliot Raff Recognized by Abby Kraycar	“Elliot! You have been such a great mentor for me, especially when I needed a lot of help team leading for the first few times. The advice you gave me and how readily available you are for me is amazing. Every time I see you you put a smile on my face 🙂 Thank you Elliot!”
To Shawn Briggs Recognized by Paul Baranay	Shawn, you handled one of the most difficult player interactions of Eternal Extravaganza 4, involving a player who was upset about an Unsporting Conduct penalty you issued. You handled the player’s frustration with grace, and didn’t let it impact you for the rest of the event. Kudos!
To Eli Meyer Recognized by Eric Paré	“Eli. You provided outstanding feedback to me at GP Quebec City and GP Toronto earlier this year. Your advice for me, even days after the events, was so impactful that I still remember it almost word for word to this day and it’s helped me improve at all my local events. Thank you, Eli.”
To Rick Salamin Recognized by Eric Paré	“Rick. After I had an unpleasant interaction with a GP Montreal 2016 participant that resulted in a negative experience for many people that weekend, you brought me aside and told me what I did wrong that made the situation worse. However, you were gentle and delicate with me about what happened despite the impact it had on the player(s) and our reputations. You didn’t jump right to conclusions either; you patiently listened to my side of the story and took your time to thoroughly explain where exactly I screwed up and what I could do differently next time to avoid such catastrophes. You handled that situation flawlessly. It’s something I’m going to remember from you forever as a judge. Thank you, Rick.”
To James Albert Recognized by Minh Vu	This Exemplar is to the ability to say No. I was head judging a competitive Legacy side event at GP Pittsburgh and I was told to find someone to relieve me while I went on break. I approached James Albert, who was uncomfortable with head judging a Legacy competitive legacy event, declined the appointment. In our judge culture of pushing boundaries, I find it refreshing for judges to assert themselves when they are asked to do a task they do not feel comfortable doing.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Brogan King	Joe, in my time as a judge you are one of the only people who I feel has consistently given me honest feedback – including things I don’t necessarily want to hear. It is an important role to fill and I’m always impressed by your ability to communicate honestly and effectively.
To Jonah Kellman Recognized by Ilan Seid-Green	Your help in creating the outline and script for the Judges for Diversity Mystical Tutor presentation was absolutely invaluable. You could easily have told as that they were entirely our responsibility, but instead you went out of your way to set up a time to Skype with me to work on them, and you helped solicit feedback from relevant third parties to edit before proceeding. Without the huge about of help you gave us, this presentation would never have gotten off the ground. Thank you!
To Nicola DiPasquale Recognized by Ilan Seid-Green	Mentoring is something that is very easy to do the minimum level of; to only help when people come to you asking for help, and only give them what they ask for. While you wait for me to come to you, the depth of what you bring back is incredible. When it matters you always make sure to give a fully thought out answer, and you always take the time to sit down with me and talk through issues and their solutions. In particular I very much appreciate the time you took to discuss what I need to do to earn a L3 recommendation. You were patient and thorough, and without that I would have a much more difficult time proceeding in a positive direction.
To Jonah Kellman Recognized by Zachary Apony	Jonah, your focus on growth and development of the judge program is a powerful thing to see. You work tirelessly with me as well as others in the program. Specifically, while being XO on Saturday of Eternal Extravangza, I saw you work with every judge you could to help them accomplish their goals and simply get better. You take well to leadership and I hope people follow suit with your commitment to other judges.
To Dan Collins Recognized by Chase Culpon	I wanted to recognize your work in helping get the Northeast PPTQ spreadsheet off the ground this season. When I was under a large time crunch, you stepped up and built the season’s sheet by hand. Thanks for helping out, and keeping this resource running smoothly!
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Zachary Apony	Joe, your mentorship and honesty has pushed me to become a better judge than I thought I could be. Both in our local store and at GPs, you make sure that I and every judge you work with operates at their highest possible level. More specifically, you adapt the way in which you do this in a deft way depending on who you’re interacting with. I’ve seen you be direct and concise in a crunch and then pivot to in-depth analysis more or less on the turn of a dime. I hope to be able to do that myself and I think it’s a skill that others could emulate.
To Joe Hughto Recognized by Chase Culpon	Better late than never! I wanted to recognize the work you put in to build the current PPTQ spreadsheet/Google form system in the Northeast. It’s a valuable resource, and has proven robust over multiple seasons.
To Matt Cooper Recognized by Zachary Apony	Matt, on Sunday at Eternal Extravaganza, you were instructed to lead End of Round. I could tell that this was a source of anxiety for you, but you did exceptionally well. You communicated well and clearly, you took well to others’ suggestions, and you showed a lot of hustle. I look forward to seeing more opportunities for you to take leadership roles.
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Zachary Apony	Charles, at GP Charlotte, as I was walking to the Side Events stage on Sunday, I saw you picking through the draft chaff and I asked what you were doing. You told me you were making decks to teach a small child, age 6, how to play Magic. It was frankly the most heart-warming thing I’ve ever witnessed as a judge. Your commitment to the happiness of every single person who walks into an event hall is inspiring. You are truly a testament to those in black.
To Corwin Knight Recognized by Andrew Blizzard	Corwin, at the Flipside PPTQ in May(which was my first to Head Judge), you presented a challenge for me in the form of a suggestion for a slight deviation regarding a shortcut(and the appropriate remedy), that I would not have considered. When I work with you, I know to be on my toes 🙂
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Yuval Regev	It was a pleasure working sides with you in SCG open Baltimore. You took the initiative and recorded feedback from us during the several events to help the TO improve the ways sides are being run. You also helped the team lead run the events. I was impressed with your effort and work.
To Zachary Apony Recognized by Eli Meyer	“Zach, I was very impressed by your willingness to go out of the way for players at GP Montreal. The particular call that impressed me was the one involving the mystery deckcheck and the game loss for “”sleeved cards in the sideboards.”” You not only went hunting for team leads and the head judge to resolve the issue, you made sure the opponent–who was very confused, and who we never even talked to!–finally got a clear explanation of his game loss. I also appreciated your willingness to accept feedback. I had some somewhat tough feedback for you regarding the call involving the belligerent player–you took it with grace, respect, and gratefulness. You left me confident that you will take that feedback into account in the future, something that assures me that you will continue to grow as a judge.”
To Christopher Wendelboe Recognized by Rob Castellon	“Chris was on my team at GP Charlotte (when Walter died) and impressed the hell out of me. Chris stepped up and performed above and beyond to make the event go smoothly for both players and judges. He helped keep me on task during my first time Day 1 team leading. He volunteered to stay for an extra half round to allow for the late shift judges to get a final break before the push to the end. Chris found me on Sunday to sit down and talk with me about how day 1 went from his perspective. I have received very little feedback from judges on my teams in the past, so this was a welcome relief. Chris approached the feedback intelligently — he had several goods things to say, brought up some areas for improvement, and had suggestions for those improvements! Recognizing something needs improvement is important, but being able to suggest how to improve it is above and beyond.”
To Anthony Hullings Recognized by Adam Eidelsafy	“Krug, The Tolarian Academy Facebook groups is a fantastic resource for L1 & L2 Candidates. Under your guidance, Tolarian Academy manages to educate without sacrificing fun. This group has helped multiple judges become L2s and it just wouldn’t have been possible without your leadership. -Safy”
To Russell Deutsch Recognized by Adam Eidelsafy	“Russell, We’ve been working together for a while now and I’ve been impressed by your determination. From the days when you were working towards L1 till, there were many times you felt like a problem was way out of your league. However, you kept working to better understand and solve each problem in your way. While I don’t always agree with your conclusions I respect your approach. -Safy”
To Christopher Rumore Recognized by Riva Arecol – Nathan Rich	“Chris,you’ve been an excellent friend and colleague since we met and worked together for the first time last year. You helped me get into Judge Tower,which my passion for is now my main project and fuelling much of my extra curricular involvement towards L3. You’re always fun to work with,and you have both great ideas and excellent jokes. I really appreciated working with you at Connecticon this year, as well. Your ideas to help all of our walk-ups feel welcome were super clutch, and we did excellent work together behind the counter so that the floor judges could watch magic continuously and without worrying. I always perk up when I see your name on an event list, and I’m looking forward to seeing us on the same one again soon.”
To Gilbert Medeiros Recognized by Riva Arecol – Nathan Rich	“Gil, I really want to let you know how much your support in the program means to me,even if I’m lousy at expressing it out loud. Your no-nonsense attitude towards excuses, constant encouragement towards real, effective, positive personal and community-based change, and your jovial humor are all great assets to the program, and I’m so glad you’ve chosen to share them with us. Traveling with you to Columbus, working with you in Connecticut, and the anticipation of seeing you again in Louisville and Providence are real bright spots in a very hard time for me. The push you gave me towards being more specific about my personal goals had helped me inside the program and out, and for all these things, you deserve to know how much it means. Take care, my friend, and I’ll see you soon.”
To Chase Culpon Recognized by Terrence Cheung	Chase, I enjoyed working with you on the setup day of GPNY, and I want to recognize you for your hard work and dedication. Towards the end of the setup day of GPNY, everyone was exhausted and I did not know who to turn to for help as I did not know many of the judges that day. Thankfully, you were able to assist me with rearranging more than 12 rows of incorrectly placed seats and table numbers for grinders. Although some tables had 8 seats while others had 6, you were able to follow my original placement pattern, divide the tasks between us, and complete the task together quickly without causing confusion to each other. Thank you for helping me and thank you for your effectiveness.
To Joshua Kartes Recognized by Terrence Cheung	Josh, many new L1s are afraid of working Competitive REL events; however, you are knowledgable, fearless, and you enjoy the challenge of being a judge. Shortly after you were certified as an L1, you prepared for the IPG and judged a Comp REL GPT! In addition, you follow that up with a sealed PPTQ 3 weeks later without hesitation. I want to recognize you for exceeding beyond my expectation in becoming a Comp REL judge so quickly. In addition, I want to recognize you for guiding your fellow L1 on the IPG and training a judge candidate on the CR, MTR, and the JAR.
To Raymond Cheung Recognized by Terrence Cheung	Raymond, I want to recognize you for working with two judge candidates on the GPT you judged for Nebulous Gaming. In addition for being the HJ and scorekeeper of the event, you were an eye opener to the two candidates. You explained to them the importance of the HJ announcment and deck check. And you showed them how the paperwork is handled in a small Comp REL event. Thank for you being an exemplary role model to the two candidates. These exemplary actions showed the candidates that being a judge is not only about knowing the rules.
To Russell Deutsch Recognized by Ben Eldridge	On Sunday at SCG Worcester you were part of the combined deck checks team. This was not only your first event but the task we had at hand was made more difficult losing one team member before we started and another a few rounds in. The result we needed to do multiple mid round checks in the later rounds of the event. I want to recognize that even though we had a heavy work load in some rounds you were always able to keep up. In addition I was impressed when you were watching the top 8 at the end of the day you handled the players well and I hope you decide to apply to more large events in the future.
To Rob Castellon Recognized by Ben Eldridge	Rob you were my team Lead at SCG Worcester on Sunday and I wanted to recognize the organization skills you showed in team leading. Sunday could have been a disaster a 5 person team losing a member before we started and another being taken away right after lunch to help sign up players but even down upto 2 members you were able to push us making sure we got everything done even if it meant doing multiple mid-round checks on two simultaneous events. I’m pretty sure event the head judges assumed we gave up on checks at some point and to keep us on track to check the required amount of decks was no small task.
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Violet Edgar	“Hello Charles, I have seen your name pop up in discussions on the forums on a regular basis, and have always felt I benefited from your insight. What’s more, the foldable judge handbook is an indispensable tool for me at events of all sizes – especially the HJ announcements checklist, without which I’ll tend to ramble on for ever when making announcements and somehow still miss important information in the process. Thanks for lending your voice to the discussions and lending your expertise to this very useful judge tool!”
To Shawn Briggs Recognized by Michael Mapson	Hi Shawn, I wanted to recognize you for your ability to very diplomatically deal with “problematic” players. First, I noticed it at the IQ you ran at Stomping Grounds. When I took issue with something you did, you were able to keep your cool, and provide your reasoning and remain polite. One could say it was easier because you knew me but then you had a less than savory interaction with a player at EE who you ended up giving your first USC – unsporting conduct to. Not only did you deliver the ruling but you talked to the player a second time about it when he approached you and again you didn’t back down. While I didn’t witness it all first hand, I heard from players that really appreciated the act.
To Russell Deutsch Recognized by Thomas Ralph	“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” – Albus Dumbledore // I don’t think we should necessarily think of other judges as enemies, but your contributions to the thread “What a Level 1 should do to become L2?” show a lot of courage to call out something you think is broken and defend your suggestions on fixing it even when they lead to getting brickbatted. Thank you for standing up for what you think is right.
To Gilbert Medeiros Recognized by Elliot Raff	Gil, at GP Pittsburgh, you displayed a remarkable leap forward from anything you have shown thus far in the judge program. Your communication was on point, your management skills were honed, and you did everything in your power to make the event run smoothly for the staff, judges and players. You were simply everywhere, hustling and showing everyone what you can do. Bravo!
To Matt Cooper Recognized by Elliot Raff	Matt, at Eternal Extravaganza, you stood out due to your energy, hustle and determination to better yourself. While we may not have had many direct interactions, it was easy for me to see your energy spreading through the staff while we dealt with a large event in an untenable venue. Thank you for your passion and your hard work.
To Riva Arecol – Nathan Rich Recognized by Yukio Victoria	Riva, in GP: Columbus I tasked you with helping sort slips, in part because I knew it to be an area you feel comfortable with. I sent you and two others to get started, and in the time it took me to come over to give the team more precise instructions, without me asking or having to specify anything, you came up with an effective and efficient plan to do so and got the team working up to speed. You kept this up throughout the day, doing an amazing job and making my day that much easier.
To Dani Mansur Recognized by Benjamin McDole	Hey! I wanted to take a second and nominate you for the fantastic work you did in Pittsburgh. You were able to help me see and smooth out some issues before they even happened. More importantly you did that from a role that was not one of floor judge! Despite being an active scorekeeper, your astute viewpoint helped make the rest of the event better for at least 20 people, not to mention countless players. Thanks!
To Joshua Kartes Recognized by Chris Connett	“Josh was especially helpful in an investigation and ruling that I had to give before the top 8. A match had been completed and its match slip filled out, but only one of the players was in top 8 contention. He wanted his opponent to concede to him, but called for a judge before attempting to tiptoe up to the bribery line. Josh relayed what he witnessed clearly, and found text from the MTR on when a match was officially over. This decision was very challenging for me, since it was the first time that I was in the position to rule on a potential bribery infraction. Josh was supportive and encouraged me to find the right ruling. Thank you, Josh!”
To Christopher Wendelboe Recognized by Dan Collins	Thanks for stepping up to lead the NE Judge Family Blog. I’m already seeing the results of your great work, and I appreciate your support as we continue to build this great resource for our region!
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Dan Collins	Megan – thanks for the suggestions you gave to improve the Northeast Exemplar Highlights blog posts! Megan’s input during one of our meetings shaped the new format we used for Wave 5, and between that and the article she wrote for the series, it wouldn’t have been the same without her help!
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Dan Collins	Ben, thanks for all the feedback you provided me in early June about the Exemplar content on the NE blog. While it was something we were already thinking about, you input and suggestions gave us a fresh point of view on the exemplar program and on our series, and I appreciate you taking the time to send it to me.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by Eric Levine	For your many efforts to keep JudgeApps up and running.
To Christopher Wendelboe Recognized by Eric Levine	For your work on the Northeast judge site, especially the Newsletters!
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Karl Weisling	Megan, at GP New York, you observed me having a difficult encounter with a player. I appreciate that you let me handle the situation on my own, but still made sure to stay nearby in case I needed help. Furthermore, after this stressful interaction, you followed up with me to make sure that I was doing alright. Thank you for your respect, caring, and compassion.
To James Eveland Recognized by Michael Mapson	This is coming from me and Max Perlmutter. While I generally don’t attend PPTQ’s thanks for running way more than your fair share. Without you I’m not sure what our area would do. It feels like I hear your name mentioned anytime there’s a PPTQ in the nearby area. I know at the very least, all my locals think you’re great. Also thanks for sitting down and truly listening and providing feedback when I was getting ready to test for L2. Everyone was very supportive but you were the one who actually sat and took the time to talk to me about it and get me on staff for a PPTQ.
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by Michael Mapson	So this might seem like a small thing to some people but at the open in Philly you made my day. I called you over to get the “oracle” on some card or another. Then when I made a ridiculous request for you to read it to me in a soothing voice you pulled through hard. Some judges would get annoyed over requests like that but you got right into the spirit of things. My opponent and I were dying of laughter by the time you left and the memory puts a smile on my face. It was a small thing but it’s the kind of thing I think that keeps the community great. Keep being awesome.
To Nicola DiPasquale Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Nick, I wanted to recognize you for stepping into a leadership role at the last minute on Sunday of GP Pittsburgh. When you noticed that one of the Sides leads was no around, you offered to take the role, not knowing if it would be a short-term or long-term. When it become a permanent role, you developed a plan and kept things on track, even though you had no time to prepare in advance. Way to step up in a tough spot!
To Megan Linscott Recognized by Antonio Zanutto	I really appreciate our talk after GP Montreal. I was feeling emotionally down during the judge dinner, you brought my morale up and you offered me a friendly shoulder. You helped me focus on what I want to accomplish with the judge program and you also made me realize that some qualities just take more time for people to appreciate and notice.
To Christopher Wendelboe Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Chris, I wanted to recognize you for your effort taking over the regional newsletter. You have continued to keep the newsletter growing and making it a useful resource for judges. Keep up the good work!
To Rich DiLeo Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Rich, I wanted to recognize you for the L1 Certification Guide that you put together. (http://blogs.magicjudges.org/northeast/become-a-judge/l1-certification-guide/) It is not only a great regional resource, but something that can be shared with anyone looking to become a certified judge. Nice work!
To Ted Holten Recognized by John Alderfer	Ted, one of the first things that was called to my attention when I became RC was your great post to Reddit about your experiences leading up to and during your EMA Sealed PPTQ. It sounds like you identified an area where more communication would be beneficial and filled it admirably. It also sounds like you put on a great event for your players!
To Dan Collins Recognized by Shawn Doherty	Dan, I wanted to recognize you for your effort coordinating the regional blog posts highlighting Exemplar nominations from the region. This work helps people understand Exemplar better and gives additional attention to the excellent work being done in the region. I know that others are involved in the effort, but pulling it all together is worth an additional shout out. Fine job, Dan!
To Benjamin Klein Recognized by Kyle Ryc	“During Grand Prix Montreal 2016 you had the thankless task of operating the Prize Wall. I have never seen such diplomacy with players and judges in my life. You took your time to answer questions regarding every single part of the event that wasn’t yours. You joked with the players who won and raised the spirits of the players who didn’t. You put up with a rogues gallery of support help in the back, training them and then knowing when to cut them. Thanks.”
To Rusty Potter Recognized by Elliot Raff	Rusty, you approached the Worcester Open ready to learn and absorb all of the information you could. You were an invaluable part of my Deck Checks team, performed tasks quickly and without complaint, and did it all with a smile on your face. You stood out and made your presence felt, and I look forward to seeing what you bring to the table in the future.
To Christopher Wendelboe Recognized by Daniel Jackson	Your take over of the Monthly Northeast Newsletter has been a godsend. It’s the best way to give a quick way to catch up on news for people who don’t like scouring the internet for every article written. It’s a wonderful resource for our new Judges and Old ones as well. I’m interested to see how you expand and keep making this great project
To Charles Featherer Recognized by Brogan King	Charles, this recognition is from both me and Eric Dustin Brown. While you excel at a great number of things, the things that seem to shine the brightest are your willingness to accept feedback and act on it as well as your drive to see both yourself and tournament operations as a whole grow and change.
To Gilbert Medeiros Recognized by John Alderfer	Gil, I wanted to thank you for the effort that you’ve put into scouting and securing a location for the upcoming Northeast Leadership conference. We started with a nebulous concept and, so far, you have been the driving force in giving this conference its own identity, rather than an adjunct to the fall Regional Conference.
To James Butler Recognized by Daniel Jackson	James, I don’t know if you see me as a mentor or just a guy with answers, but you come to me with questions about the Judge program, and you make me learn when you do. Many of the times you’ve asked about something I got to explain it, and by doing so learned it better myself. Also from your questions, I get things to ask the other judges in the community and pick at the brains of others. Please keep the questions coming and keep me on my toes.
To Christopher Hartman Recognized by John Alderfer	Chris, I know it’s been more and more difficult to manage with your recent family changes, and that you were actually intending to step back from judging but I truly appreciate you being willing to continue to work PPTQs for as long as you have. I know that scheduling has been challenging but your stalwart presence has greatly helped to keep Magic OP happening here in Western PA and given us time to work toward a solution.
To Ellen McManis Recognized by Jason Riendeau	“Ellen, Thanks for stepping up and taking over the Batters Up PPTQ when I came down with a case of the plague. We tried really hard to find another L2, but no one else was available that day. The event schedule in New England is completely full, which puts a lot of pressure on each judge to be available and to not have things come up. The fact that most PPTQs don’t need more than one judge also puts us in a position of not having a backup plan. I appreciate the fact that I was able to get healthy again, and the players appreciate the fact that their PPTQ wasn’t going to be poorly-run or canceled.”
To Matt Cooper Recognized by Daniel Jackson	Matt I haven’t talked with you in person once, but I feel like I know you quite well. You are one of, if not the most active person in our Slack Channel. You are asking awesome questions, and keeping the rest of us abreast of the news as it comes out. I can just check the channel for a post from you to see if something big has happened in Magic. Hope to work with you sometime, and see if you are as awesome in the real world as you are online.
To James Eveland Recognized by Mani Cavalieri	At Eternal Extravaganza 4, we had a surge of players day 1, and had to “activate” several judges – except you weren’t on standby; you were just there to play. Instead, you put on your blacks, and helped us run a super smooth day 1. You didn’t just show up on your day off, you kicked ass. You weren’t just an extra body, you were on point the whole day, and your contribution to the staff was felt and greatly appreciated, especially given the last-minute summons. Thank you.
To Paul Baranay Recognized by William Anderson	You do a very good job with the programming/administration side of judge apps. You also write good articles for Bearz Repeating that foster useful discussion. I wish more judges would produce the quality of content you produce in Bearz Repeating (also, the pun is good)
To Matt Cooper Recognized by Mani Cavalieri	At Eternal Extravaganza 4, I got to work with you for the first time, and it was awesome. You were enthusiastic, energetic, and fun to be around the whole weekend. You really threw yourself into the event and into working with your team, throughout the weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing more of that at future events together 🙂
To Adam Eidelsafy Recognized by Samuel Nathanson	“Adam, You do so much to bring in L1’s to our region. From reaching out to getting them to judge with you to running a judge class. You are truly an asset to DNY and I’m proud to have you with us. Keep up the great work! -Sam”
To Terrence Cheung Recognized by Samuel Nathanson	“Terrence, The eternal challenges with L1’s in the world without PTQ’s is how do we get them the experience we need? For NYC the answer is two words: Terrence Cheung. You have set up a carousel of L1’s who each get opportunities to work with you. Not only that, but your ability to keep such great tabs on them and how they did is staggering. NYC is truly better for the work you’ve done. Thank you!”
To Abby Kraycar Recognized by Jeffrey Emery	“Abby, You are continually innovating and finding new ways to bolster your community and peers. At SCG Worcester, you unveiled one of the best ideas I have seen from a Team Lead in a long time, your Goals Board. I have already seen other judges integrate the idea into their judge kit. I think you have really struck something special. I look forward to seeing your next innovation!”
To Bryan Hare Recognized by John Alderfer	Bryan, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts within the Northeast Region. This reflects multiple things that I’ve witnessed recently from your part in setting up the regional Slack to helping to secure the venue for the next conference (even though you were “volunteered” for this task in absentia). Thank you and keep it up!
To Michael Stromley Recognized by Gilbert Medeiros	Mike, your efforts to improve your area by educating players and judge candidates has been very important to area development. Both your attitude and efforts have directly resulted in a better play environment in Southern RI as well as the addition of 2 Judges to our under serviced area.
To Katie Bishop Recognized by Brandon Welch	I got to work ODE’s with Katie at GP New York and it was an absolute pleasure. At one point she enacted an awesome idea of moving the land station to a more accessible location for the events. At the cost of one table this small improvement drastically impacted the walking distance for the players. Even though it was a simple change it was something I’ve seen adopted by Channelfireball for their future GPs. Keep up the awesome work and hopefully I will get the pleasure of working with her again.
To Dante Petruzziello Recognized by Tom Davis	Dante, when I selected you to judge at ConnectiCon this year, I was blown away by your dedication to Teamwork, Diplomacy, and Maturity. Normally reserved as a quality expected of high-level judges in the program, your work to “gel” with the rest of our staff was astounding. I rarely see individuals of your age show such dedication and respect to their chosen craft, and yet you were always ready to answer the call for our team. I may have had concerns initially about how well you would adjust to a convention setting, especially given your youth, but you blew those concerns – and me – away. Bravo!
To Joseph Steet Recognized by Arthur Halavais	“At Grand Prix LA, there was a situation involving multiple players getting penalties for tardiness. You shadowed the call through the approval process, but stepped in when you realized that the table tent had been reversed, giving a very goo reason for these two players not to be in the correct seats. You not only you acted as the perfect sort of support for your fellow judges, silent but fully ready to spring into action. You also took the time to look for another possible solution that put customer service and the player experience as the most important, something that often gets less focus.”
To Elliot Raff Recognized by Gilbert Medeiros	Elloit, your always a person I can talk to about almost anything to do with the program. Your help and advice getting SCG Regional’s Adequately staffed and supported was very appreciated and commendable. You made me comfortable getting the event prepared despite it being the first time I am in a HJ position at a large event.
To Zane Knapp Recognized by Arthur Halavais	“It was bought to my attention that at GP Columbus you received a ruling from a floor judge that was incorrect in a way that was favorable to you. You appealed this ruling and it was overturned, despite there being no obligation for ou to do so. Playing Magic can get weird sometimes for judges. Both the patterns that we fall into while judging and the perception of the player community can lead to concerns over judges being “”rules lawyers,”” “”spikes,”” or several less savory terms. And while it isn’t necessarily fair that players who happen to be judges are held to a higher standard as players, that is the case. With your actions here, you’ve surpassed that higher standard and helped in some part to foster a better relationship between the judge and player communities and to make the experience of playing while being a judge less worrisome.”
To Tom Davis Recognized by Brendan Capel	We worked together at Grand Prix Montreal 2016, and I took over On Demand Event leadership from you Saturday afternoon. I was impressed by your efficient use of very limited judge and physical resources, and your upbeat attitude with both players and other judges. You helped make a very challenging weekend a great success.