Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Cade Rowan, 7, sharpens his Pokemon skills at his dad's Lynnwood home on Tuesday. Rowan was one of four people from Washington to qualify for the National Pokemon Tournament after he won a regional tournament in Seattle in May. Three of the qualifiers are from Snohomish County.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, June 26, 2009 Lynnwood boy is a Pokemon prodigy A 7-year-old from Lynnwood places first in a state tournament and earns a spot at the national competition. By Chris Fyall Herald Writer Until Cade Rowan won, he didn't know what he was playing for. Maybe that's why the 7-year-old from Lynnwood was so relaxed last month as he beat seven straight opponents, finally placing first in a Seattle qualifying event for the Pokemon Video Game National Championship. After Cade won, event organizers told him his prize. It still makes Cade scream with happiness. "A free trip!" he says, his bright blue eyes beaming. The trip is taking Cade and his father Robert Rowan to St. Louis for the junior division national championship event this weekend. There, Cade will compete against 127 other kids under age 12 for the title. He'll have some Snohomish County competition. David Hernandez, 7, of Marysville and Michael Xi, 12, of Mill Creek also finished in the top four at the Seattle event. The top four finishers qualified for St. Louis. The winner in St. Louis wins a spot in the world championships later this year in San Diego. Pokemon is a role-playing game that pits teams of cuddly monsters against each other, while players take turns dictating moves for their squads. At the national championships, competitors will play each other on hand-held Nintendo DS units. The Rowans arrived in St. Louis on Thursday. Cade is looking forward to facing the kids during the competition, he said. For now, he mostly practices against his father and against his Nintendo Wii. He could easily find local games, though, after locals players proved themselves at the Seattle qualifying event. There, many of the competitors towered over Cade. Some of Cade's competitors were taller than him even when they knelt down. Nevermind. He sliced through them all. It was fun to watch, his father said. "It was such a neat moment -- he was at his best." Chris Fyall: 425-339-3447, cfyall@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Diamond Knot brewery co-founder dead at 46 2. Winfrey takes Winans off her show 3. Everett officer pleads not guilty to manslaughter charge amid a show of support 4. Official Bikini Inspector 5. Man struck by car dies 6. Person sought in officer's killing is shot in head 7. Snohomish County home sales shoot up 35% 8. Thousands to pay respects to slain Seattle police officer 9. Watch infants carefully for signs of the flu 10. Violations close Grab-n-Go espresso stand 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Gough on track to keep job • Jazz vocalist headlines NPAC • Mountlake Terrace makes football history • Tax revenue sagging, city budgets lagging • ‘Touch of Magic' show opens at Gallery North • Jackson repeats as South champs • Holiday Bazaars Calendar • Meadowdale storms back to grab title • Edmonds moves to Fire District 1 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million