Advertisement The Onalaska 11-year-old came very close last weekend to getting his expenses paid to go to the international event, which will be held Aug. 14-15. At the national Pokemon competition June 27-28 in St. Louis, Mo., Simon battled his way through a field of 258 players in the junior division to finish in sixth place, winning 13 of 15 of his matches.
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Joshua Simon ponders his next move at the national Pokemon competition last weekend. |
The boy who now holds the No. 1 Pokemon ranking in the world finished a slot ahead of Simon in fifth. Unfortunately for Simon, fifth place was the last spot that paid for world competition travel and lodging expenses.
Missing out on the world competition means Simon won’t get a chance to reclaim the No. 1 world ranking he held for much of the season by virtue of his record-setting run of wins in the city championships.
Simon had been provided a travel allowance for the national tournament by virtue of placing first in regional competition. But his mother, Cheryl Kidd, said it’s unlikely the family can afford to go to San Diego.
“I was really hoping to since its his last year in juniors, but I honestly don’t see how,” Kidd said. “I have to get a different van as it is because of all the miles and traveling.”
While he didn’t win a trip to San Diego, Simon didn’t come away empty-handed from the national competition, which attracted nearly 3,000 players in all. His sixth-place finish carried with it a $750 scholarship and a box of Pokemon cards.
