About a month or so ago, David Vogin e-mailed me to say that he was going to give me a chance to serve as the DCI Regional Coordinator for the Southwest United States. The Regional Coordinator program is David’s pet program: in the United States, there are five of us. Each one of us coordinates a region. We are a regional point of contact, and it’s also our job to help make things happen for judges and Tournament Organizers that need help, recognition, or contacts. (If you have more questions about the RC program, please ask in the forums. Mini-plug completed.) I got this gig in the simplest way imaginable: I asked.
After Grand Prix: Houston, I spoke to several high level judges I had contact with and asked them for advice on reaching Level 3 in the judge program. (John) Carter’s advice to me was the one that took me the longest time to understand. He asked me how I could increase my own name recognition. This advice took me by surprise. Because of my previous writing and being very vocal online, a lot of judges know who I am. And why would it even matter if I increase my name recognition?
That’s what this article is about. There are two basic steps toward getting anything you want out of the program. The first step is to build enough of a reputation that suggests that you can handle whatever it is you want. Then you just have to find the right person and ask.
Be Good At It
Okay, I lied. There are actually three steps involved. You shouldn’t just trick somebody in believing you can handle whatever responsibility it is you’re seeking. You also need to be able to handle it. If you want to advance to Level 2 in the judge program, make sure that you are doing the things that a Level 2 does. If you want to be given and pass the Level 1 Judge test, you should show your judge mentor that you’re already acting on that level. I’ve talked with judges that are interested in advancing to Level 2, and one of the first questions I’m going to ask is, “What have you done to mentor other judges?”
Be Known For It
Having a positive reputation is almost as important as being able to do the work. I made the decision to apply to be the SW USA Regional Coordinator during Grand Prix: DC, and I e-mailed him a few days later. I’ve never really judged an event with David, and I’ve only talked him briefly. My one main interaction with David was in Austin for the Pro Tour where he cracked jokes and it took me all night to realize he was joking the entire time. I was dramatically out-sarcasmed. So how did David know whether I’d be any good at the job? Simple: he asked folks who know me. I think most of you heard, there was a Pro Tour the weekend immediately after that Grand Prix. I only have a few of the details, but I know David Vogin asked a few folks whether I’d be any good at the job. High-level judges I have worked with recommended me to David, and I got the job.
Do you know who Riki Hayashi is? If you do, I guarantee it’s because he’s told you who he is. A fellow judge described Riki to me as the most shameless self-promoter in the Judge Program, and I don’t think it was a negative sentiment. Riki has high goals in the program, and one of the ways he gets there is to be known by as many people as he can. Riki just got a dream job, doing judging and event managing for a living here at StarCityGames.com. Who am I to say his approach is wrong?
Sheldon Menery expressed this a few times at Pro Tour: San Diego far better than I could, so I’ll echo his words, “We [The DCI] play favorites, but only in a good way.” As a judge and even more as a regional coordinator, I’m going to bend over backward to help another judge. And the best judges I know do the same thing. One of my locals was talking to me about judging his first event, and I helped him find a tournament that needed staff. I gave him the TO’s e-mail address and encouraged him to apply. And immediately after I sent that e-mail, I sent an e-mail to the TO recommending that local for a spot on staff. Because let’s face it: judging is fun. And we like to help each other enjoy judging. If you know the right people, they can help get your name out.
Judges live and die on community. I flew to Washington, DC, halfway across the country from my abode in Texas, because I got to work with friends. I am friends with a large number of people I’ve met in the program. I know I’m not alone in this. I know I’m also not alone in asking my friends what they know about other judges. Sadly, judges don’t all know each other (except maybe Sheldon Menery: I think he does know everybody). But we’re all within six degrees of separation. When a staff list comes out for a big event, I look at the staff list and ask my friends about the judges I don’t know, and they do the same with me. It’s an even bigger issue if you’re trying to staff an event. If a tournament organizer needs to make a decision between two judges they don’t know, they basically can’t help but go with the one they have a good recommendation about. And you had better believe that tournament organizers ask experienced judges for recommendations.
Ask For It
Based on my experiences, the judge program doesn’t stand on bureaucracy. We don’t make folks jump through hoops for no reason. There are requirements for some things, but even then people in charge are willing to waive those if the circumstances dictate. The more experience I gain with the program, the more I realize one simple fact: your mentors are ready to get you to where you want to go in the program long before you realize you want to get there. For those of you that watched Angel: the Series, you might remember the moment when Jasmine unveiled how years of disruption and events conspired to bring her to life on Earth. I had one of those “see the depths of my evil plans” moment with one of my mentors. He’d been arranging years for well over a year to help mold me into the kind of judge I’m proud to become.
As judges, we’re more than glad to help you get whatever you want to achieve. But we don’t want to force our goals for you onto you. Judging is supposed to be fun; if you’re not enjoying it, I don’t want to force anything onto you. But when you do make the decision and finally tell somebody, don’t be surprised when they’re ready. At GP: Houston, I talked to a few judges and finally expressed that I was interested in making L3. I had a long conversation with Riki Hiyashi, and he told me that he had been expecting me to say this since he first met me at Grand Prix: Atlanta in 2008. I was instantly reminded of the scene in Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie) where Rico decides to go career. His acting Lieutenant had the forms already filled out, waiting for Rico to sign. What Rico didn’t understand is that Jelly was once a brash young judge, eager and ready to advance to Level 2. Of course Jelly knew the signs. We may hint or prod or poke judges into a direction, but it’s largely up to a judge to say, “I want to take the L1 test.”
It would certainly save some trouble if someone could magically come to you and say, “You should think about testing for L2.” I’ve worked with judges who I’ve helped push in that direction. But let’s face it: judging is fun, but it can also be a lot of work. The motivation for that has to come from inside. You can tell a judge that L2 is within their reach, and I’ve done it, but it won’t really take until they realize it. And if you wait for the candidate to tell you they’re ready, you know they’re doing it for themselves and not you.
So that’s it: the secret to getting what you want in the judge world, as far as I can tell. I think life works a lot like this normally: if you want something badly enough, ask for it and see what happens. Just remember how things worked for you, and turn around and help the next person to come along in the same position.