EeveeLover

That was the question I faced several years ago.

After learning how to play this game for the sake of teach my children how to play Pokémon, I faced the ultimate question most players face.

Do I finally admit to myself that I will never be a competitive player and focus on my skills as a Judge or do I just continue to make a fool of myself as a player? Well, I made the choice, whether I realized it then or not, the day I passed the Professor Exam.

I passed the Professor Exam a few days before the 2005 Gym Challenge series started. I then Judged the Wheat Ridge, CO Gym Challenge as my first event. I think that was around the same time that I last contemplated being a serious player ever again.

Since that first event, I have literally been involved with well over 100 events as a Judge or an Organizer. I have Judged everything from League Tournaments to the 2010 World Championships. But no matter how many or what level events I have Judged, I feel my biggest accomplishment is the friends that I have made while Judging.

As a player, all I could hope for was the chance to sit and watch the top players in my State / Regional level events play for the wins. I would have never hoped for more than that.

As a Judge, I have had the opportunity to watch the best players in the US and the best in the World play for their titles. I can call multiple World and National Champions my friends, as well as some of the best and brightest in the Judging and Organizing groups. I have had the opportunity to travel to new places in the US, meet new people and make lots of new friends that I would have never done if not for that Professor Exam all those years ago.

What I have accomplished has been a testament to all the Organizers and Judges that I have worked with and learned from, no matter how small or large the event. What I have achieved is not only because of my skills, but from the skills that taught me how to do this and more importantly, why to do this.

To those people, I thank you all. Thank you for taking a nobody player and helping me become the person I am today. Without all of you, I would have probably left the game when my kids did.

I get a lot of parents of players and players themselves that thank me for what I do in this game, but without them, I would not have this game that I love so dearly or the friends that I have.

So, thank you all for making all this possible for me. See you all on the next series of events!