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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-smspokemon05060505jun05,0,1006218.story
House of cards
By Joseph Rassel
Sentinel Staff Writer
June 5, 2005
Like most 9-year-olds, Grafton Roll enjoys a variety of activities, such as playing video games and watching television. He competes on a swim team and takes piano lessons.
But unlike most other kids, he also can claim the title of 2005 Florida Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game) champion.
Pokémon is a strategy game played with trading cards that feature creatures with different skills and powers. Grafton, of Winter Springs, won the 10-and-younger state championship in March during a tournament in Kissimmee.
His family has already made plans to attend the Pokémon USA National Championships in July in Columbus, Ohio. The top four national champions are invited to the world championship Aug. 19-22 in San Diego.
Grafton isn't the only one in his family hot on the Pokémon circuit. His father, Jim Roll, and his 16-year-old brother, Carson, also plan to compete. His mother, D'Lynn Roll, chooses to remain a spectator.
Grafton's journey through the world of Pokémon has been a short one. The A-and-B student from Rainbow Elementary started playing just last summer.
"I opened a pack [of cards] and saw these cool Pokémon, and I thought, 'These guys are awesome,'" Grafton said. "So I showed them to my friends, and then we all started opening packs and making decks and started battling. But we didn't even know how" to play.
"Then, my brother came and took one of my boxes and asked me if he could build a deck."
The game soon became a family affair, as well as a bridge between the brothers.
"I thought it was kind of cool and maybe I could build him a deck that would beat his friends," Carson said. "And he started winning every single time."
Grafton honed his skills playing in leagues at The Gathering Place, a card-game store in Casselberry.
"A neighbor told us about the league. . . . We just evolved from there," Carson said.
The brothers go almost every Saturday to play and trade cards.
"With their age difference, it's hard to do things together, such as sports," Jim Roll said. "It's definitely given them an activity they can do together. They still will fight over the game, but I think it brings them closer to each other."
Grafton has been ranked as high as 13th in the world and 10th in the United States in his age group on the Pokémon Web site www.op.pokemon-tcg.com.
Pokémon debuted in the United States in 1998 with an animated TV show, a video game and trading cards.
The first U.S. movie came a year later, and Pokémon rode a wave of popularity for several years before showing signs of a decline, said Heidi Craig, Premier tournament organizer for Pokémon USA Inc., a subsidiary of Nintendo.
"It was fading and losing its player base because the company that was running it at the time wasn't putting on tournaments or giving away good prizes," Craig said.
"Players were going to other games that were offering more."
Pokémon USA took over card distribution and organized tournament play in 2003. Tournament prizes now include Pokémon trading-card booster packs, merchandise, travel allowances to other tournaments and scholarships ranging from $500 to $7,500.
Attendance at Premier tournaments in Florida has risen steadily during the past few years, said Craig, who has been organizing and running tournaments since 1999.
"We've had a 200 percent growth in the game coming back," Craig said. "In 2003, we were getting anywhere from eight to 30 participants [at tournaments]. This year, we are averaging anywhere from 90 to over 100 participants."
"You'll see Mom, Dad, the kids all playing. It gives families a way to connect with their children while having fun doing the same thing."
Grafton plans to continue playing in preparation for the nationals and the chance to qualify for the world championship.
"Now that school is over, we'll probably battle about 100 times a week," he said.
Joseph Rassel can be reached at [email protected] or 407-772-8035.
Copyright © 2005, Orlando Sentinel
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