|
Doomkaiser Dragon
Card# CSOC-EN043
Doomkaiser Dragon's effect isn't just for Zombie World duelists: remember that its effect can swipe copies of Plaguespreader Zombie, too!
Click here for more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
If there’s a judge anywhere who hasn’t yet realized that this year is going to be big for premier events, well . . . that judge is sadly out of touch. There are going to be a lot of big events packed into each month, including Regionals, the Shonen Jump Championships, and Sneak Preview events. If you’re a judge and you live in an area that doesn’t have many active high-level judges, then you probably spend a lot of your time out on the tournament floor. Judging is a very demanding job and can take a serious toll on your health if you don’t manage yourself well. Make an effort to stick to some common-sense choices that will help you maintain your health. Being healthy is necessary if you want to build up your endurance and focus—endurance and focus are necessary if you want to handle the long hours of judging.
Your overall health habits are going to have an impact on your performance as a judge, because judges who are in good physical condition will hold up much better in the long haul of a large premier event. Judging is a physically demanding job without a lot of downtime, so anything you can do to give yourself an edge is a smart move. There are some general guidelines that will help give you that edge, so let’s take a look and find out how your health habits measure up.
Healthy Habits
Diet
We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” It’s kind of creepy if you stop to think about it. However, making good nutritional choices will definitely benefit your health. If you live on fast food, chips, soda, and candy, you’re depriving your body of much-needed nutrients. Plus, you aren’t doing your complexion any favors either. You should eat a nutritious, balanced diet, stick to a moderate caloric intake, and drink filtered water rather than soda. You’ll be rewarded with more energy, fewer extra pounds, and an increased resistance to germs.
Exercise
Anyone who’s been on the floor at a really big tournament knows the toll that the work takes on your body. Standing all day, walking around, and constantly being on call is physically demanding, so going into an event with a decent level of physical strength is a real asset. If you spend a lot of your free time parked on the sofa, carve out some of that time and spend it doing something more active. Even if you do nothing more than some basic stretching exercises and a short walk around the neighborhood, getting your body used to physical activity is going to make a day on the tournament floor a lot more tolerable.
Sleep
Does anyone ever get enough sleep? There’s always so much to do—between school, work, keeping up on the game, and social activities—that time for sleep tends to get pushed aside. Lack of sleep makes you tired, cranky, and mentally fuzzy. Exhaustion also makes you look less than your best. Caffeine or other stimulants might wake you up temporarily, but they’re no substitute for a good night’s rest. Make room in your schedule for sleep. While sleep is easy to overlook, it makes a big difference in your health and performance.
Hygiene
Good hygiene makes you more pleasant to be around and reduces your chances of getting sick. TOs aren’t going to be happy if they need you for an event and you call in sick. You don’t want to get a reputation for being unreliable. Shower, wash your hands often, brush your teeth, and keep your environment tidy. Germs thrive in dirt—eliminate the dirt, and you’ll greatly reduce your chances of getting sick.
What I’ve just talked about are habits that you should have in your everyday life, to whatever extent you are able. Next, I’m going to discuss some on-site behaviors that will help get you through the day in the best shape possible. These behaviors are an expansion of everyday healthy living, calculated to keep you from crashing too early in the day. Let’s face it, those of us who have worked at events lasting longer than twelve hours know how wrecked we can be by the end. Try some of these strategies and see what an improvement they can make.
Healthy On-Site Behaviors
Diet and Hydration
Find out beforehand what kind of food (if any) will be available at the tournament site. You can usually call the venue to find out about food options. Judges tend to eat their meals on the run—occasionally, food will be provided for the judges, but for the most part, you will be stuck with whatever you can grab at the site. In general, “whatever” isn’t very good for you, because we’re usually talking about pizza, mystery burgers, hot dogs, or nachos. Aside from the low nutritional content of the food, it might have been sitting out too long or contain some other potential health threat. You won’t do anyone any good if you’re trapped in the bathroom for a few hours, so be careful about what you eat. If you don’t thrive on a greasy concession-stand diet, you should bring some food with you. Bring something that’s easy to eat and doesn’t require refrigeration or heating up. Nutrition bars, fruit, and cut-up vegetables are all examples of healthy, energy-giving options.
Make sure that you stay hydrated as well. Drinking one or two sodas is all right, but water is your best friend during a long event. Drink lots of water, and stop by a convenience store to buy a few bottles before the event starts—that way, plenty of water will be available.
Proper Rest
If you’re judging at a convention, avoid the temptation to stay up late playing in other events. This is especially the case if a TO has paid your way to the event—you are there to judge, not to run around all night playing games. You should concentrate on judging. If you have a long commute to the event, try to come out a day early to ensure that you’re well rested when you get to the venue. Plus, you’d better get to bed on time on the nights leading up to the event, because one night’s worth of sleep won’t help much if you’ve been burning the midnight oil during the rest of the week. Save the partying until the tournament is over!
Physical Endurance
Pace yourself, because it’s going to be a long day. You won’t have much more than a few minutes here and there to sit down, eat, or rest. Judges have to circulate around the floor, distribute match slips, post and take down pairings, and run back and forth to the judge station. You should take a break now and then to do some stretching exercises, because they’ll help reduce any pain in your back, feet, and legs. Work out a zone system with the other judges so you can focus on one area without wasting your energy running around the entire floor. Head judges should prepare a schedule to make sure that all judges are putting forth the same amount of effort and no one is carrying more than he or she should.
Proper Footwear and Clothing
If you’re planning to judge on a regular basis, do yourself a favor and invest in a pair of really good shoes. Wearing well-made shoes with proper foot support will greatly reduce pain in your feet, legs, and back. Plain athletic shoes aren’t always the best choice, so look for shoes in the right size that have good arch support and cushioning. Also, make sure that you break your judge shoes in before going to a tournament and standing in them for fourteen hours! Shoe inserts can work if you can’t get a new pair of shoes, so check out the foot-care aisle and pick up something that cushions and supports your feet.
Wear clothing that fits you and is comfortable. If you need to get a larger-size pair of pants, then you should do so. You’ll have plenty of physical discomfort to deal with as the day rolls on, so don’t voluntarily subject yourself to more. It’s hard to predict what the temperature range will be like at the venue, so come prepared to cope with anything from “It’s freezing in here,” to “There’s no air conditioning and we’ve got 400 competitors!” UDE judge shirts are polyester and don’t breathe well, so you’ll probably want to wear a layer of cotton underneath.
Bring Appropriate Medication
If you suffer from any medical conditions, bring your medication or make sure that you take it before you get to the venue. Whether you have chronic headaches, allergies, or anything else, you should be able to manage any medical conditions at the event. Not feeling well isn’t going to be an acceptable excuse for doing a poor job. If you have a contagious disease such as a cold or the flu, you should make arrangements to stay home if at all possible. The other judges and the competitors aren’t going to like it if you come in and spread your illness around.
Judging is physically taxing, and you’ll likely end up with aches and pains of some sort. If you want to take an over-the-counter pain medication, throw a bottle in your bag before you head to the event.
Hygiene
Again, make sure that you’re clean and neat before heading out to judge. No one likes a dirty, smelly judge! Stop by the drug store and buy a few pocket-sized bottles of antibacterial gel to keep with you during the event. You’re going to be touching cards, garbage left on tables, and all sorts of grubby stuff over the course of the day. Get in the habit of cleaning your hands frequently, because that will reduce your chances of picking up a bug. Wash your hands with soap before you eat, and try to avoid obviously ill competitors as much as you can.
Head Judge Responsibilities to the Floor Team
Head judges should make sure that each of the floor judges gets some downtime when possible. Breaks should be scheduled so they don’t overlap. Head judges should also encourage floor judges to drink water throughout the day. Keep an eye on how well the floor judges are performing and ask them how they are doing. It doesn’t hurt to remind them to wash their hands or use their antibacterial gel either. Make sure that all judges are doing their fair share of work—one or two judges shouldn’t be overworked while others spend more time than they ought to sitting down and “watching” matches.
TO Responsibilities to the Judge Team
Ideally, TOs should provide food and beverages for the judge staff. At the very least, TOs should make sure that drinking water is available. If a TO is running multiple events over the course of a few days (such as a convention), he or she should schedule judges in shifts so they can get enough rest. Most TOs understand the importance of taking care of the staff, but if you end up working with a TO who doesn’t do this, consider discussing the problem with him or her.
Sticking to sensible health habits will help you not only as a judge, but also as a human being. Anything that you do to improve your performance on the tournament floor is going to have a positive impact on the rest of your life. You don’t have anything to lose by reducing unhealthy behaviors.
There are lots of high-profile events, and judges are eager to prove themselves. You want to be ready and at peak condition when you get the chance to show your talent. By all means, keep studying the rulings and player management. Just make sure that you don’t neglect your health, because physical and mental endurance are a judge’s greatest assets. |
| |
| Top of Page |
|
|
| |
|