Itasca boy to compete in Pokemon World Championship

When her son, Andrew, was a young child, Kristin Kazenas vowed he would never play video games and she would only allow educational computer games in her house.

It wasn't long before Andrew's older cousin introduced him to Pokemon, however, and the Itasca mom decided to relax the rules a bit.

"My sister told me 'You know, it's really not that bad,'" Kazenas said. "And soon I could see great improvements in Andrew's interest in reading and his ability to read quickly, as well as strategic thinking skills."

Andrew's savvy with "Pokemon Platinum," a hand-held video game for the Nintendo DS that has sold millions of copies, is teaching the 12-year-old a lot about travel, too.

This weekend, Andrew and his mother will fly to San Diego for the Pokemon Video Game World Championship, where he will compete against players from more than 20 countries. The pair won the trip in late June after Andrew earned an invitation to the world contest by competing and placing among the top 16 at the National Championships in St. Louis.

It wasn't just Andrew's gaming skills that landed him at the World Championships, though. A bit of luck and tenacity helped.

Both Andrew and Kristen Kazenas knew none of the regional competitions were anywhere near Illinois. But they learned online that the national competition would have a raffle, allowing random entrants to compete in the St. Louis contest.

So Andrew used the last of his mom's frequent flier miles, hopped on his first solo flight to St. Louis to stay with his grandparents, and put his name in the hat.

"On the plane I was nervous because it was the first time flying by myself," said Andrew. "If my name didn't get drawn I would have been disappointed, but not too disappointed because I have an awesome (video game) team and I could just try again next year."

Fortune smiled on him and his name was drawn. His skills allowed him to advance.

So now, as Andrew prepares for battle again, Kazenas finds herself bending the rules for her son once more. Normally, he's only allowed to play Pokemon during long car rides and on rainy days. His chores, homework and other activities, including fencing, come first.

But Kazenas admits she's letting Andrew practice a bit more, while trying to manage his expectations for the contest.

"I told Andrew there is no bad outcome to this," she said. "If he does well, obviously there's prizes (including another trip). If he loses his first match (on Friday), we've got one-on-one time together to explore San Diego. I'm proud of him and excited for the opportunity to share in the excitement of something that is one of his most favorite things."

And while Andrew is certainly hoping for the glory and prizes that could come with victory, the most important thing is still the love of the game.

"If I win of course I'll be happy," he said. "And if I lose I'll be disappointed. But at least I still get the awesome Pokemon team that I've trained."