James "JR" Judy, director of ShepNaz Basketball in Gahanna, has reached the quarterfinals of the national Super Dad Competition. The father of three, with a fourth child on the way, is competing for a grand prize valued at roughly $32,500, according to the contest's official rules. That includes a $25,000 honorarium and an appearance in an Ace Hardware-presented television commercial set to air during the Ace Shootout 2027 on the Golf Channel.

Judy runs ShepNaz Basketball, the basketball and cheerleading program at Shepherd Church of the Nazarene on South Hamilton Road in Gahanna. His competition profile page describes him as someone who balances work, directs a youth basketball program, performs as a professional wrestler and makes "every day an adventure" with his kids.

Judy had some help to get him into the quarterfinals. In the previous round, he was in third place when coworkers, church members, wrestling colleagues and alumni from Gahanna Lincoln High School piled in with votes and donations, pushing him to first. In an interview with the New Albany-Gahanna Beacon, he said he watched the surge happen in real time, refreshing the page as the support rolled in.

Judy has a full house. He and his wife have three children: Kolson, 9; Khloe, 5; and Jettson, who turns 3 soon. Judy and his wife also have a daughter due on Black Friday. He works from home, which he said lets him stay hands-on. He coaches Kolson's soccer team.

His oldest got in on the campaign, too. Kolson wrote and filmed 30-second comedy promotional videos to drum up votes, Judy said.

ShepNaz Basketball posted on Instagram calling on the community to support Judy, noting the prize "would make a huge difference for his growing family, especially with a new baby on the way."

If he wins, Judy said he wants to use the money to support his growing family. He also hopes the title would give him a platform to encourage other fathers and push people to take risks, drawing a parallel to his own pursuit of independent professional wrestling.

The official rules state the competition "is in no way owned or operated by Ace Hardware Inc." and is run by Colossal Management, LLC, a for-profit professional fundraiser.

Donation votes support a fundraiser benefiting Children’s Miracle Network. According to the contest rules, donations are received by Action Initiative Team, which grants the remaining funds to Children’s Miracle Network after competition fees, costs and its retained share are deducted.

Quarterfinal voting closes Thursday, Oct. 29, at 10 p.m. EDT. You can cast your votes on Judy's competition profile page.