By: Benjamin Bloodworth
This week we have an awesome post that I’m excited to share with you. Store owner, Tournament Organizer, AND Level 2 judge Benjamin Bloodworth has written this excellent piece that can help enlighten you on what “the other side” is looking for when you judge events for a store. This type of insight is truly invaluable, and I can’t thank Benjamin enough for writing this.
From the TO’s Perspective
My name is Benjamin Bloodworth, and I’m an L2 from Tallahassee, FL. In addition to judging Magic events, I own my own store, Gamescape. I’m writing this article to provide some insight on what a tournament organizer (TO) may expect from a judge.
New Customers/Repeat Customers
Every TO hopes to draw in new customers at every event they run. They also want these new customers to turn into repeat customers. The effort level and expense required to get a new customer often pays off only if the new customer turns into a repeat customer. How do these new customers turn into repeat customers? They need to have a good time regardless of how well they performed in the tournament. As a judge, you directly impact the players’ experience.
Attitude
Your attitude while judging will influence the entire tournament. If you are short with players or the TO, you will most likely get reciprocal treatment. If you are short with the TO, they probably won’t invite you back. If you are short with the players, they may not return for future events at that store or future events that you judge. Maintaining a friendly, upbeat attitude can ensure players have fun, even if they aren’t doing particularly well in the event. Don’t forget that most players in a given event will be losing, so making sure that they are having a good time regardless of tournament outcome is very important.
Opening Announcements
You set the mood for your tournament with your opening announcement. If you don’t sound excited to be running the event, your players probably won’t be too excited to play in it. If on the other hand, you sound excited to be there, your players will respond in kind. Happy players turn into repeat customers at a much higher rate than unhappy players.
Did you stumble through your announcement? Were there awkward pauses? How many times did you say, “um?” Practice your opening announcements ahead of time. That way you won’t stumble through it at the start of the tournament. (editor’s note: here is an article that may help you focus your thoughts before you get to the announcements, and help keep it upbeat and quick!)
Taking Judge Calls
How you answer a judge call is just as important as getting the answer correct. A friendly greeting as you approach the table will set the mood for how the players respond to your questions and rulings. The goal is to let the players know you are there to help them, and not just as some draconian authority.
It’s also important to make sure you give both players a chance to provide input before making a ruling. Not only will this potentially give you important information you would have otherwise missed, it makes both players feel as though their input is equally important. Making each player feel important will go a long way to creating a good player experience. Even if the ruling doesn’t go their way, it takes some of the sting out of it if the judge was respectful and listened to their input. You still want that player to feel as though they were treated fairly and respectfully at the end of the event so that they come back to future events. (editor’s note: body language can be very useful in taking calls, and may help player’s feel like you are connecting with them more if you utilize it well.)
Productivity
The TO is paying you for your services. As such, they want you managing the tournament timely and efficiently. While the players are playing a game, you are being paid to perform a job. You shouldn’t be involved in non-tournament related activities, such as trading cards with other players, or checking out the vendor booth or store singles. You shouldn’t sit down away from the tournament and only involve yourself with the tournament when a player needs a judge. The TO can pay one of their own employees to sit behind a counter and answer calls as needed.
The TO has expended money to have a dedicated resource for the tournament. You should dedicate yourself to the tournament and be involved. Watch players playing games. Not only will the players be more likely to call a judge because you are nearby, you may actually hear the communication between the players and not have as much detective work to do to figure who said what.
If you have downtime, think about what you could be doing to help make the event run more efficiently: enter some results slips; maybe hit a mid-round deck check; sit and watch some Magic; mentor the other judges on staff. Whatever you are doing, make sure it is of benefit to the event as a whole.
Appearance
For the duration of the tournament, you are a representative for the TO. Your appearance is a direct reflection on the business. Did you show up in appropriate judge attire? Are your clothes wrinkled? Take some time to make sure you are presentable just as you would at any other professional job. It can be worth asking the TO what they prefer you wear for their events in advance. Some stores prefer judges wear a store shirt, others a regional polo, and still others the more formal black button-down shirts. Whatever the choice, make sure to dress as if you were going to work that day, because you are!
TO Communication
If you need to issue a more severe penalty, one that can result in a match loss or a disqualification, you should inform your tournament organizer as a courtesy. Even if the player doesn’t seem disgruntled with your ruling, they may speak to the TO separately. You can save yourself some trouble if the TO isn’t caught off guard by the player’s complaint.
Conclusion (Nik again)
I hope this piece provided you with some food for thought, and has you thinking about how you can best present yourself and act so as to impress the people that are responsible for “hiring” you for events. Seeing the job from other viewpoints is crucial to gaining a fuller understanding of the role, and how you can best provide value to all the stakeholders. I often ask judges I’m mentoring who they think their “customer” is. The response is almost always that the players are the customers. While that certainly is true to a certain extent, I argue that a judges customer is actually the TO and store owner. You are there to provide a service to the store, and in doing so, provide service to those players. Keeping aware of how you can best represent that store is very important, and I really loved reading, and now sharing, this piece, so hopefully you all can be more aware of that dynamic as well!
The Elvish Farmer 