The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 79

8W Monday. September 20, 1999 THE TENNESSEAN wwwteonessean com WILLIAMSON: COMMUNITY NEWS New Construction Replacements Antique Door Repair Imperial ffl CI El X)oor, Inc. Pckeman: latest trend causing quite a stir Construction Loaner Choice of Stain Color Many Styles Customs Stain Glass, Factory or Custom Free Maintenance Program Franklin, TN Mobile 838-2062 Office 591-6885 't 0 Role Models Crittenton Services Natonya Lankford, Christopher Milton and Katrina Tennyson are members of our Crittenton Awareness Team, a peer education group of about 40 Williamson County high school students. They represent a broad cross section of students. Most of the kids are underclassmen and will still be in the program next year, except Natonya, who attends Franklin High School and is the only senior and four-year veteran on the panel.

Theo and Katrina go to Fairview High School and Christopher attends Centennial. Except for Theo, who is a teen dad, all are virgins. There are some kids on the panel who are not virgins and not parents, but they are all abstinent. If they've had sex once they have to decide now that they won't anymore. Signing a contract to that effect is part of the criteria for being part of the panel.These are all outstanding kids who want to be role models for other kids and help lead them away from risky behavior.

Bonnie Kays Don't believe it? Check out kids as they open new booster packs. Watch one child's eyes light up as he discovers a holofoil, one of the most (DIPIEKT 4 1 3m JJ JARED LAZARUS STAFF Shannon Skye, 13, of Brentwood teaches her mom, Kim, how to play Pokemon during a tournament at Outer Limits in Franklin. Pokemon Primer for Parents and Collectors CAT Program Counselor Williamson County Crittenton Services United WSay Of Williamson County Someoni Needs You. In 1998 over 1, 700 Williamson County middle and high school students were educated by Crittenton Services on teen pregnancy prevention and adolescent sexuality. Please give generously.

WWW.UWWe.0r9 THK TKNNKSSKAN'S WILLIAMSON A.M. 5. Buy a monthly trading card guide like InQuest gamer to learn how much cards are worth. Although they are harder to find, Japanese cards are worth more. 6.

There are four types of cards: Basic the most important cards needed to play the game; Evolution cards you play on top of your Basic Pokemon cards to make them more powerful or bigger; Energy cards that give your Pokemon more strength to attack; and Trainer special cards that are used one time during a game. fTWrH irirr ru- (DIP1EN 1 feHH-nMIIIP 1. Prices vary. Like any product, Pokemon has suggested retail prices. A booster pack can sell from about $3 to more than $6, and even higher if they are Japanese cards.

2. Cards are sold individually, in booster packs (11 cards) and starter decks (60 cards that are already set up to play). 3. To protect your investment, store cards in plastic sleeves. 4.

There are counterfeit cards. Store owners recommend holding cards up to light. You shouldn't see through. makes me want to get all the cards." Her mother, Tracey Maier, encourages her daughter to continue her hobby. "They are very collectible," she said.

"The characters are cute and exciting." Kim Skye also attended a recent Outer Limits tournament with her childrea She says Pokemon has become a family affair in her house. While her husband teaches their two children, Collin, 7, and Lrica 9, strategy tips in the card game, Kim is in charge of the card collectioa 'The cards in the black sleeves, we don't trade. The cards in the clear sleeves are the ones that we need another and the cards that are in no sleeve are free to trade," she explained. Skye looks at Pokemon as more than just a card game it encourages her children to read. Even though her daughter Erica plays, she says, "It's aLso a good thing for moms and sons to do.

It's a good mind 'ro PREOWNED END OF MONTH SALE valuable cards. If he's lucky, maybe it's a Blastoise. Or, see another sink when he finds a cute, but not very rare, Pikachu Three years ago the "Pocket Monsters" trading card game was launched in Japaa Last January Wizards of the Coast, one of the world's largest trading card manufacturers, introduced "Pokemon," to the US. In just nine months the company has sold more than 2 million copies of the game, far exceeding any of its early projections. Currently, there are two types of Pokemon sets for sale in the US: Basic and the Jungle expansion set Combined, there are 102 different Pokemon cards available to collect, trade and battle.

In November, a third expansion set, Fossil, will hit stores. When Fossil arrives, all 150 Pokemon will be available. In January 2000, a fourth expansion set, Rocket, will most likely add more fuel to the Pokemon fire. But as Kevin Hanson of Franklin and the rest of the Pokemon card hunters know, this new collectible is not easy to find. "Almost everywhere we go they are sold out," Kevin said, who takes his son Jared, 11, along for the chase.

Retailers are also frustrated by the short supply. "We just don't always have the product," said Tom Sambola owner of Slammin' Sam's Cards Collectibles in CoolSprings Galleria. Like the rest of the retailers in Williamson County, he gets at least 50 Pokemon calls a day. Perhaps that is adding to the Pokemon frenzy. Rarity makes for more demand.

For now, kids don't care about simple economic equations. Half the buyers only want to collect and trade, while the rest enjoy testing their Pokemons' strength in card game battles. The basic purpose is to build a deck of Pokemon that can battle your opponent's. Sounds simple enough until you watch someone play. Suddenly a Pokemon is confused, paralyzed, poisoned, or asleep.

Little colored beads serve as damage counters. At local tournament games, parents stand around with their own confused looks while children as young as five flip cards, evolve and energize their Pokemon with ease. Every other Friday afternoon at Outer Limits there Ls a Pokemon tournament. This Friday, the tournament will be open to children 14 and under. A few weeks ago more than 40 new and seasoned collectors came to play and trade.

Most were young boys, however thdre were a few girls and some high school kids as well Hanson, who was there with his son Jared, thinks Pokemon is a good thing. "It's better than Nintendo or having them sit in front of a TV Here, they get to come out aid talk to other kids." One of the few girls at the tournament Megan Maier, 9, of Franklin, came just to trade cards. "It's just something that draws me into the game," she said. 'It's like a secret potion on the game that i r-i I fa bo 3 3 OAK Hours: i game. From $3 to $6 for a booster pack of 11 cards, the cost to build a Pokemon game deck of 60 cards can get expeasive.

But Skye says it's worth it "I look at it like, so what if we spend $60 on Pokemon cards. We don't collect anything else." The most her family has ever' spent for any booster pack was $625 at CoolSprings Galleria Dyer agrees that the card game's benefits outweigh the expease. "Pokemon teaches the kids math, reading, and strategy," he said. "Some parents buy single cards for 10 cents each to use as rewards. Another parent bought a booster pack for each A' that their child got on his 3-week progress report" Sambola and Dyer predict that Pokemon will be around longer than Pogs, Beanie Babies or other col- lectibles because of the card game.

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