EVENT: GP Vancouver
DATE: Jan 29-31, 2016
MY ASSIGNMENTS:
Saturday – 11am Modern Confrontation (Comp REL)
Sunday – 9am Super Sunday Series Sealed (Comp REL)
This tournament report is primarily aimed at L1s who may have never been to a GP or haven’t been to one in a while, but are considering applying. It is also written with L1s in mind who are working towards L2.
GP Vancouver was the second GP I had been on staff for, after GP SeaTac in 2015. As such, I had some idea what to expect, but still went into the event looking to absorb and learn as much as I possibly could. I also entered with the intent to make steps towards achieving Level 2, and sought to receive feedback and constructive criticism from as many sources as possible.
Interesting Moments
On some level, I expected the craziest and most difficult calls I had ever encountered to come from an event this size. This was not the case. Just as in judging your local FNM, where the most frequent questions you get will be about what time the next round is starting, many of my interactions were simply directing players to the correct areas where they could find their pairings, turn in their slips, or use the restroom.
Three rounds into the event, this exact scenario occurred. I felt a strange sort of glee at being prepared for this, and ran a normal deck check on the other player, then carefully photographed the cards contained in the problem player’s decklist. Once decks were returned and play had resumed, I was able to sit down and recreate the missing decklist without delaying the tournament or alerting any of the players of the issue.
Lesson 1: GPs are an amazing resource for an aspiring judge.
Beyond just the buddy program, working a GP allows you access to some of the most informed minds and active faces of the judge community. You are able to meet countless people whose names and faces you may have only seen on a computer screen, and discover exactly why they are known for their work. An important aspect of being an L2+ judge is willingness to mentor other judges, and working an event alongside multiple people who have this goal allows you to gain a lot of important feedback. If you declare your interest to them up front, many L2s will be happy to pose policy and rules questions to you throughout the day.
There is also an effort at newer GPs to run small seminars on certain topics. I was fortunate to attend three 30 minute seminars held by L5 Kevin Desprez on Hidden Card Error, Backups, and End of Game Conversations. I went in with questions on these issues, and walked out feeling enormously confident on them. By the end of the weekend, I was explaining things I had learned in these seminars to other L1s on the floor.
Lesson 2: As a judge, don’t assume that players are the only people who need your help.
It’s easy to get focused on the small picture: the current rules call you’re dealing with, or the specific task you have in your event. But everyone working at that event has the same goal, and you’re all on one team. In my career, I quickly learned to never say (even mentally) “that’s not my job.” A judge needs help putting out the table numbers that didn’t get set the night before? Lend a hand. The venue staff is having trouble finding where a drink spill they were called in to clean up is located? Show them the way. Everyone is working together to create a great event and a great experience, and just because you’ve been assigned as a Floor Judge doesn’t mean you can’t give aid where it’s needed (as long as you aren’t neglecting other duties you have been assigned to).
Lesson 3: Don’t forget you are the public face of the event, no matter what your level is.
I feel that many people underestimate how important customer service is in being a judge. The misconception that being a judge is “just about knowing the rules” is one that I am constantly striving to correct. I can’t tell you how many FNMs I’ve been to at stores where the employees were grumpy, unhelpful, or just downright unfriendly. It did not take long before I stopped attending those places. If a player’s first GP is staffed entirely by friendly, professional faces, then they are that much more likely to keep attending large events. How good or bad a player’s day ends up being doesn’t entirely revolve around the games they played – it also relies heavily on their experience in between the games, and a judge’s appearance and conduct can play a very large role in that.
During my break on Sunday, a panicked player came up to me, asking if I’d seen a green jacket. I told him that I hadn’t but informed him that there was a Lost & Found, and that he should speak to them. We walked over together, and I helped him fill out a form with the pertinent information. A half hour later, another judge turned in the item, and I was able to get the jacket back to him. He was enormously grateful, and it turns out his wallet was still in the coat, along with hundreds of prize tickets that he had won by taking down a scheduled event. We spent some time talking afterwards, and I discovered that this was his first GP. He was ecstatic to have won the event, and it was “the first thing he’d ever really won.” He profusely thanked me, thanked the event staff, and most everyone else within earshot. If he hadn’t been able to get back his jacket, his wallet and his winnings, his story to his friends about how the GP went would have been much different.
Bonus Lesson: No matter how many times you’ve been told to drink water, it’s not enough.
I carried a water bottle with me yet still ended up neglecting it, and got a headache by the end of Saturday. Drink what you think is enough, and then drink more. Needing to step off the floor for a brief moment to visit the restroom is worlds better than being in pain and struggling to focus in the late hours of the day – which is also a time when players may make more mistakes, so you will potentially have more to deal with. Be good to yourself, so you can be good to the players.
If you are an L1 who has never worked a GP or has not done one in a while, I would highly recommend it. If you are looking to grow as a judge, surrounding yourself with people who know more than you (and are willing to help) – in an environment as rich as a GP – is a fantastic way to grow in the program.
Also, this was my first tournament report. If you have feedback, I would of course love to hear it. Thanks for reading.
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