Morristown girl heading to Pokemon World Championships
Anytime Jessy Weidemann saw her brother Robby playing Pokemon Trading Card games, she saw how much fun he always had competing with his friends. Wanting to join in, the youngster asked her brother and father to teach her the game.
“My dad wouldn’t let me play until I learned how to read really well so when I turned seven, he let me play. He and my brother taught me. My brother is two years older than me and my dad plays, too. It’s fun.”
On Jan. 12, after a day of head-to-head Pokemon Trading Card Game battles, Jessy Weidemann took first place in the Senior Division at the 2014/2015 Pokemon City Championships in Stroudsburg, PA. The Morristown High School freshman won a trophy, 18 card packs and valuable Championship Points that count toward the 2015 Pokemon World Championships.
“It was really nice to win. I’m a senior so I need 250 Championship Points and right now I have 310. So that means I can go to the World Championships in Boston this summer. And I’m going.”
The 2015 Pokemon World Championships are a three-day tournament with one winner in each age group: Seniors, for those born 2000-2002, Juniors, for those born 2003 or later and Master, for those born 1999 or earlier. Players compete in a number of rounds before eventually moving on to elimination rounds of best two-out-of-three against other top players.
At this year’s World Championships, players will compete for more than $500,000 in scholarship awards. Each Pokemon Video Game World Champion will win a $10,000 scholarship while Jessy Weidemann can win a $25,000 scholarship if she becomes the Pokemon Trading Card Game World Champion in the Senior Division.
“It usually only goes five rounds so you play five different people and then there’s a top cut. I play whoever comes up against me,” said Weidemann, who is in her last year of Seniors play. “My brother is actually better than me, I think. This year he hasn’t been really doing good but the past two years he was in the Worlds.”
Currently ranked 22 as a Seniors player, Weidemann hopes to move up the ranks to number 16 before the World Championships, which qualifies her for the second day of play. To earn more points, the teen continues to enter and compete in as many local league and sanctioned tournaments as she can.
“The top 16 gets a free pass and get to go on automatically,” said Weidemann, who doesn’t remember when she won her first tournament. “So I’m trying. I’m going to Regionals on Valentine’s weekend so that will be fun.”
Honing their skills, both Weidemanns practice together, trying out different decks, many made by her brother.
“He’ll give me a deck and I’ll test it against whatever deck he wants to try and then I also have my own deck and we go from there.”
The Weidemanns have turned Pokemon Trading Card games into a family affair, spending many of their weekends together competing and earning points. Since tournaments are held most weekends in almost any state, they’re able to pick and choose which ones to attend. They’ve turned the chance to accumulate points and compete into many family vacations.
“The community is really great. It’s like a family environment and I have a lot of friends that play, too. Two of my good friends play,” said Weidemann, who plays softball and soccer and also enjoys cooking and baking.
“Worlds are usually four days so for one Worlds we went to Hawaii and we made it into our family vacation. We also went to Vancouver and made it a little vacation, too. It’s fun.”
Help the Homeless
Leo is a six-year-old lab/pit bull mix who thought he had found his forever home when he was adopted from Eleventh Hour Rescue three years ago. Sadly, he had to be returned because his owner had to move and could not take him along. So Leo once again finds himself without a home and without a family. Leo the Lovebug, as his volunteer friends like to call him, is gentle in every way and will smother you with kisses and never stop wagging his tail. Leo has a great personality and it shows in his sweet brown eyes that just beg you to love him. Leo knows some basic obedience, is great while walking on the leash, and rides very nicely in the car. He is housebroken, is good with adults and older considerate children, and likes other dogs, but prefers female dogs.
To read more about Leo, to complete an application for him, or to see all of the adoptable pets, visit www.ehrdogs.org or call 973-664-0865.
Cedar Knolls freshman earns honors
Michael A. Mastellone, a freshman at Boston College, made the Dean’s list for the Fall 2014 semester. The son of Michael and Patricia Mastellone of Cedar Knolls, Mastellone is majoring in Finance in the University’s Carroll School of Management. He is involved in the University premier jazz ensemble, BC bOp! and a member of the Heightsman, an all male a cappella group.
Parsippany doctor gains partnership
Dr. Francine Rosenberg, a member of the Morris Psychological Group in Parsippany, has been named a partner. A New Jersey licensed psychologist, she is a clinical psychologist and anxiety specialist and is on the medical staff of Morristown Memorial Hospital and is a member of the Craniofacial Team at Goryeb Children's Hospital.
East Hanover student makes Dean’s List
Emily Debiak of East Hanover has been placed on the Dean’s List in recognition of academic excellence during the Fall 2014 semester at New River Community College. A Dean’s List student is one who has taken 12 college-level semester hours of credit or more and attained a grade point average of 3.2 for any one semester.
Hackettstown counselor furthers study
Centenary College’s International Student Admissions Counselor in the School of International Programs, April Chang, has been accepted into the 12th Class of the NAFSA Academy for International Programs. With nearly 10,000 members worldwide, NAFSA is the world’s largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education.