But then, WHAM, right out of the blue, a memorable weekend turned magical. With surprisingly little fanfare and, to Talkers' knowledge, no ESPN 8-The Ocho promos or shouted-out predictions, word came that just when it seemed impossible to squeeze one more highlight into the weekend, the Pokemon City Championships roared into town.
No word on whether the media onslaught will include Obscure Sports Quarterly (OSQ). Equally mum on the subject is Visit Lake Norman, which has yet to posit an estimate for the event's economic impact or number of room nights booked.
On Sunday, starting at high noon — honestly, the only suitable time for a dramatic, no-holds-barred, guns-blazing, take-no-prisoners slugfest like this – Pokemon polished professionals and pretenders will square off at the Parker Banner Kent & Wayne Comics store on Catawba Avenue in Cornelius. (If you can't find it, look for the blimp).
Talkers admit a lack of knowledge about the obvious intricacies and (who knew?) competitive undertones of the Pokemon phenomena and, shamefully, Talkers believed whatever spark Pokemon had ignited years ago had surely been extinguished. But it appears that, once again, Talkers were poor judges of what exactly piques public interest.
In this case, age may be the primary factor in separating Talkers from the mass of Pokemon phanantics. Through exhaustive research, Talkers discovered that the Senior division of this weekend's tournament is for those competitors born between 1997 and 2000. There is a Master's division for those born in or, (egads!), even before 1996, but that has the feel of the guys who show up at The Master's just to hit the first ball off the tee and be wheeled back to the home.
The blood-and-guts divisions appear to be the Senior and Junior categories. Some of the more grizzled Pokemon warriors could be up to 14 feisty years old while the younger category includes those born from 2001 right up until, apparently, game time. Talkers would never assume that the competitors at such an austere gathering might be considered, um, well, let's see, NERDS!, but they are betting the "over" on the number of bowties and pocket protectors on the premises.
But to each his or her own, Talkers always say, especially when it was discovered that the winners of City Competitions at each age level earn Championship Points that could result in the world finals next summer in Hawaii.
Now Talkers ponder if it's too late to catch up to the Pokemon express.
Pudding jobs first
It was ripe for the picking. When top banana Chiquita Brands International announced it was moving its headquarters from Cincinnati to Charlotte this week, Talkers about fell out of our hammocks. The topic had so much appeal. By the time we'd discussed the ramifications, our collective side had split. We just hope the move truly fosters economic growth.
