Written by Jared Sylva
Star City Games is proud to announce the Cornerstone recognition program!
A Cornerstone is the first block of a building and we wanted to recognize the judges who form the foundation of the staff at the SCG Tour. Star City Games has had the Keystone program since 2014 to recognize and reward Level 3 and Level 2 judges and now Cornerstone will be a program focused on recognizing the Level 1 judges who excel at the SCG Tour. We want a Cornerstone recognition to be a first achievement to build on as a judge grows and develops into an SCG Tour regular.
Why does Cornerstone only recognize Level 1 Judges?
It was important to us to provide recognition and rewards to judges who are still building their reputation at the SCG Tour. With Level 2 and 3 judges having opportunities through the Keystone program, we wanted to develop a program focused on the Level 1 judges making contributions to the SCG Tour.
Who selects Cornerstone recipients?
Cornerstone recipients are selected from nominations made by Star City Games Organized Play staff. All Level 1 judges who have not received a Cornerstone recognition are eligible.
What do Cornerstone recipients receive?
A Cornerstone recognition includes some small tokens of our appreciation along with a guaranteed acceptance to all days of a future SCG Tour event of their choice.
How are guaranteed acceptances redeemed?
The recipient of a Cornerstone guaranteed acceptance simply emails judge@starcitygames.com prior to applications closing for their selected event to confirm their desire to use their guaranteed acceptance. When staff is posted, the Cornerstone recipient will be accepted for the maximum number of days for that event.
How do Cornerstone recipients find out?
Cornerstone recipients will receive their recognition in a sealed envelope. They may be mailed, or hand delivered at a future event.
We’ve put a lot of thought into how to present these recognitions, and we were excited to see the reaction when the first Cornerstone recipient, Sydney Townley posted about receiving their recognition at SCG Syracuse.
Sydney was recognized for their excellent work at SCG Cleveland, particularly for excelling in their role with side events. In Cleveland, Sydney brought an energy and awareness that enhanced the event for the players and staff around them, improving the experience for players and streamlining the event for stage staff.
Our second Cornerstone recognition was awarded to Marcie Twedell for her work at SCG Richmond. Marcie brought experience to side events on Saturday, but really excelled as part of Meg Rickman’s Unified Checks team on Sunday. Marcie handled coordinating with three events and the constant stream of deck checks staying engaged and aware throughout Sunday.
The last Cornerstone recognition that I want to mention today is Johnny Zenone from SCG Syracuse. Johnny was on side events and really impressed us with his hustle and how engaged he was with learning about how to do things better. Johnny’s attention to detail and care for player experience really made us excited for his next event.
We look forward to working with Sydney, Marcie, and Johnny at the events they choose for their Cornerstone events and can’t wait to work with the next Level 1s who will earn a Cornerstone recognition of their own!