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Joshua Simon, 10, earned an invitation to the championships, to be held Aug. 14-19, by placing fifth out of 207 Junior Division players at the national championship in Columbus, Ohio. The event will include players from 20 countries.
“It is extremely difficult and a huge honor to get an invite to Worlds,” said his mother, Cheryl Kidd. “He is the only junior to get an invite in the whole Midwest Region.”
Pokemon is a complex strategic card game in which players assemble a deck of 60 cards from more than 2,000 possible cards. Simon is ranked first in Wisconsin, 13th out of 3,434 Junior Division players in North America and 18th out of 4,711 players in the world.
If Simon had advanced one more round at the national competition, he would have earned a free trip to the world tournament and a $5,000 scholarship. He did win a $750 scholarship, and he could earn scholarships ranging from $3,500 to $10,000 at the world competition.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Simon’s achievement is he is just in his first full year of playing Pokemon. His older sister, Danyelle, also has excelled in her first year, ranking 60th in the very competitive Senior Division for ages 11 to 15.
“We have grown so close as a family and absolutely love traveling together for tournaments,” said Kidd, who is raising her children alone. “My kids love every challenge, and we have made some great friends in every town. It is indescribable the anticipation, excitement and joy that it brings us.”
Kidd has been hoping to find sponsors to help with the expense of taking part in the world championship. Anyone interested in sponsorship information can contact her at 781-6949.
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