10-year-old deals a winning game of Pokémon
June 15, 2010
Connor Owens cuts and shuffles a deck of Pokémon cards before starting a game against an opponent. By Greg Farrar
With nimble manipulation, Connor Owens’ hands quickly slice the cards next to one another as he shuffles. His ability mimics that of the best Las Vegas dealer. His calm, cool appearance is not dissimilar from the best Texas Hold’em players on the circuit as he keeps his steely eyes locked on his opponent.
But Connor is only 10, and this game is for the pride in proving he can school his father, Dave Owens.
“He can beat me so easily,” Dave said. “There was a time I could keep up, but now I can’t.”
In just a few years, Connor has gone from collecting the images on his Pokémon cards based on what character looks coolest to being one of the best Pokémon card players in the Pacific Northwest.
Since March, Connor has conquered the state of Oregon, taking third place at the state tournament March 13, and the Pacific Northwest Region, taking fourth at the April 17 tournament.
“I just thought, ‘Wow!’” Connor said.
“He pretty much shocked himself,” his mother Deneall Owens said. “He came up to me and said, ‘I can’t believe I won.’” Read more
Pokémon frenzy is in its second year
May 25, 2010
By Max Smith-Holmes
Physics students are usually known more for their brains than their video game prowess. For Skyline High School’s International Baccalaureate physics students, however, the latter may be the more valued trait.
Each spring, Skyline’s IB physics classes take a field trip to the Silverwood theme park in Idaho. Last year, the annual trip adopted a new tradition: a Pokémon video game frenzy brought about by usual school boredom.
Then senior Tyler Ninomura came up with the idea to bring Game Boy video game systems into physics class on days when there was free time. The students used cables to link their systems together and battle each other one on one.
The activity grew in popularity and eventually became an organized tournament for the bus rides to Silverwood. Read more
How to embrace your Facebook addiction
February 23, 2010
By Tiffany Xu
Facebook addictions are difficult to cure. Unless you’re about to resort to services such as Web 2.0 Suicide Machine (hand over your account information, say a few last words and watch your virtual profiles be erased within an hour), it’s time to fully embrace social networking.
Here are five tips for how to put your Facebook to better use. Who knows, they might temporarily alleviate your feelings of guilt and inadequacy as well. Read more
Rotary Club honors students of the month for December
January 12, 2010
The Rotary Club of Issaquah recently honored the following seniors for its students of the month for December. Read more
Video games come to life with new program Sword Fit
December 1, 2008
William Johns, Sword Fit founder, carefully watches the students’ techniques during a class designed to bring their video game fantasies to life through physical fitness and safety. Photo by Chantelle Lusebrink
Jedi light sabers and swashbuckling adventures in the Caribbean are just one of many things keeping children inside and glued to the television.
But how do you get your child off the couch, detached from the controller and back to reality? Bring the fantasy to life, according to William Johns, a certified instructor and master of sword and martial arts.
His new program, Sword Fit, brings the excitement of sword fighting into reality and gets children moving.
After seeing increasing obesity rates among children in the news, on television and in his classrooms, Johns, a former New York state public school teacher, started the program when he moved to Issaquah.
“I was tired of seeing kids out of shape,” he said. “So, I started a nonprofit designed to increase their physical fitness in a fun way that they understood.” Read more
