Vicente here. Today our Exemplar Highlight takes us to one of our northernmost L2s in the Southwest region, Ray Bechtel. Ray’s journey into the world of Magic the Gathering began with the release of Onslaught. Having just graduated from High School, with money to burn, Ray purchased a Tournament pack, where he opened Weathered Wayfarer, Krosan Colossus, and Jareth, Leonin Titan.

One fateful day as Ray playtested for Grand Prix San Francisco 2007  with friends, Wizards Customer Service had to be called to settle a dispute. Ray had a Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir on board. Ray’s opponent wanted to cast a spell at instant speed during Ray’s opponent’s turn. Ray said you couldn’t, but Wizards Customer Service and Ray’s opponent both agreed you could. This incorrect call inspired Ray to become a judge. Ray’s love of the magic community blossomed as he judged events in his local area.

With that said, may I present Ray’s tubular recognition of Matthew Johnson:

“Matt,

Grand Prix’s are a great opportunity to learn and have fun, especially as a Judge. Recently, GP Oakland occurred. At this event you worked side events, mostly On Demand Events. I certainly had concerns based upon GP Vegas.

The fact of the matter is – you nailed it. From the observations I made, the interactions I had, and from talking to players and Judges, you nailed it. Not only did you incorporate the feedback received from previous events, you went beyond that. I was sincerely impressed by how you handled GP Oakland. Keep getting better!

Thank you Ray for following up with Matthew on previously given feedback. Feedback is important. Without it we cannot tell if we are improving or not, and constructive criticism can help us improve aspects of ourselves we didn’t know needed improvement.