US-SW Winter Mock Tournament Conference

About this event

Join us for the Arizona mock tournament judge conference on December 15! The format for the mock tournament will be four-pack sealed with no entry fee and no prizes.  All participants are expected to be able to attend the full conference day.  If you have a significant and exceptional need for an exception, please contact the organizers.

This conference will be run as a competitive-level tournament with a team structure similar to a Grand Prix. More details will be announced in the next few days.

What is this event for?

This event is intended for judges to develop their skills in a competitive setting. At the end of each round, there will be a team debrief where "lessons learned" during the round will be shared and we can discuss best practices and feedback.

Who can participate?

All certified judges are encouraged to attend and participate.  Non-judge players are also welcome to participate as players, but they should be aware that there will not be prizes for this event, and time between rounds will be used for debriefs.  There are several roles available at this conference:

Player Participant- Player participants will play in the event as if it were a normal Competitive REL event.  They may participate in certain scenarios when paired against a presenter, and they will participate in the debriefs after each round to discuss calls taken during the round.

Floor Judge- Floor judges will judge the event on teams similar to a Grand Prix.  Floor judges will take judge calls at Competitive REL and practice each team of the event to get familiar with required large event tasks.

Head Judge- The Head Judge will handle announcements and coordinating between teams.  The Head Judge will not be taking appeals at this event.  This role is for an experienced L1 or newer L2 who would like to practice the skills of running an event and communicating to large groups.

Team Lead Presenter- The Team Lead Presenters are experienced team leads and will guide a team of judges through the judging tasks of a large event.  They will also moderate the debriefs each round.  This role is for experienced L2s only and is a presenter role.  

Player Presenter- The Player Presenters will coordinate ahead of the event to collaborate on scenarios that will be used in the tournament and to present those scenarios at the tournament.  This is a presenter role and requires advance preparation.

How (and where) do I apply?

All applicants should apply using this application.  Please read the role descriptions above and select all roles you are willing to accept.  If you have role preferences, please include them in your cover letter.

Applicants should write a cover letter as if this were a GP you are applying for.  This is good practice for applying to large events, and we will give feedback on your cover letter.

Applicants for Player Presenter should include a common judge call scenario they would like to present in their cover letter.

Will there be foils?

Since this is an official regional conference, there will be foil support. Foil support is only for applicants who are accepted to the conference and who are certified judges at the time their application is accepted.

I have more questions!

All questions should be directed to organizers Eric Lee or Eliana Rabinowitz, or regional coordinator Angela Chandler.