“I don’t know whether this is the kind of thing you usually talk about, but I play Pokemon competitively. How do I go about explaining it…
Basically, not many people know that there’s actually a game that the Pokemon cards are built around. So I go traveling around the country–and sometimes out of the country–to play it competitively. Out of the country I’ve been to London and Germany, and then I’ve been all over inside the country.
It started when I was 7 [in that whole phase] where everyone’s collecting [and trading] Pokemon cards. I had a friend who knew how to play, and there was a card game store with a really nice lady named Liz who taught me how to play. I kind of just learned, and then I started going to tournaments. I went to one big tournament that was in the Patriots football stadium and then it just spiraled from there–it just grew and grew and eventually, I got really into it. In 2014 I qualified for the world championships, and I ended up placing 100th in the world that year and the next year it was 24th.
Before they started doing prize money it was mostly just cards and various Pokemon stuff. Now there is prize money. I’ve won money before; it’s not profitable, but it’s just something I really enjoy.”