Tommy Herrera recently had the opportunity to work his first tournament as a Tournament Director. Filled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, he approached the tournament with an open mind and was ready to embrace the challenges he faced. We sat down with him to gain insights into his reflections on this pivotal experience and what he hopes to achieve moving forward.

What did your experience being a tournament director feel like?

It was fun. I got to see how the kids behaved after their games. I was able to take their results.

There is a video of you taking the result of your middle-school team-mate. How did that feel?

I felt proud of him. He won all his games, I was happy that he ended up winning all his games, and he gave me the result of his last game.

What did you learn from the job?

I learned that you need patience. Some kids don’t tell you the result of their games, but some do.

You have been playing in the tournaments for the past 3+ years, how did it feel being on the other side?

I feel like I learned what happened behind the scenes, and what it takes to be a tournament director. It was interesting to see how everything worked.

Did you ever get jealous looking at some of the games?

Some of the moves that people played I didn’t see, personally, so I was impressed.

What’s the biggest difference between playing and working at tournaments?

I guess when you play, it’s more stressful. When you play you only worry about yourself. Working means you have a lot of responsibilities, and you have to collaborate with others.

CIS tournaments are one of the only tournaments in NYC, and the country, that are led by teenagers. How did it feel to be part of the team?

I think that it felt great. We worked together, we collaborated, and my friends helped me out when I didn’t know how to do something.

Are you excited to go play in some more tournaments now that you’re part of the College Bound program?

I would say I’m even more excited to play now. I am currently signed up for the next tournament. We’ll see what happens.