Preface: This is something I've wanted to write about but I was waiting until it became official. Whether you know what's going on or not, enjoy.
I play the Pokémon Trading Card Game. 90% of you know this, but to the ones that don't, I have seat over here for you to sit on to if this is so shocking that you're knocked off your feet. Most people had no idea that there was a way to play, they thought it was all about just collecting cards, I won't get into the rules, but it's basically a version of chess where you bring your own pieces.
I've been playing Pokémon competitively for 6 years now, and I am so happy that I picked up this hobby. Why do I like it you may be asking, well I'm glad you asked. First off, I love the competition. I'm a very competitive person, so if I can get the adrenaline flowing, even in a TCG I'm going to enjoy it. Secondly, I get to travel all over to play this game. This season alone (a season runs from September to August) I've been to Texas, Georgia, Ohio, all over Florida, I'll be in Indianapolis in July, and I will be in Vancouver in August. That's pretty awesome if I don't say so myself! Lastly, most importantly, I love all the friends I've made. I have met people from all over the US and from other countries as well. I go to events to play obviously, but the main reason I go is to hang out with my friends. Example, this year for a State tournament, a pretty big deal for performing well to get your invite to the World Championships and just a big tournament overall, I decided to go to Columbus, Ohio for their tourney, a usually tough area, instead of going to Georgia, which is an easier area to perform well in. Now why would I do that, I wanted to hang out with a few of my better friends who I realistically only see once, maybe twice a year at Nationals and Worlds if we make the trek for it. Winning and performing well is great, but it's definitely not everything.
Now why did I wait to make a post about why I like Pokémon? Well on Sunday, as some of you already know, I officially qualified for the World Championships which will be in Vancouver in August. I just didn't want to say I was going to qualify prematurely and then miss it (yes I'm superstitious, we all know this haha). This is big as it is the first time that I have qualified for the main event outright, which is something that is hard to do. It's like the play-offs of any major sport, you need to perform well through a whole season to qualify, and then anything can happen in the postseason. This has been my goal all season, to get a chance to compete with the best in world and hopefully performing well. Now it still hasn't really fully set in, and I don't think it will for a little longer, but in the words of a good friend of mine 'I'm going to be playing in the World Fucking Championships' the most important event of the season, and most important that I have ever played. I have staked my claim as roughly one of the 150 best in the world this season, which is pretty crazy. I'm sure I'll be nervous, as I always get nervous before big events, but I plan on just enjoying the ride, and if that includes a deep run then that's just icing on the top!
Well that's all I have for now, hope you enjoyed seeing a small glance into my favorite hobby, I know it isn't the coolest one, but I enjoy it. Until next time ya'll.
JV
