Whiz Kid Derek Kaplan Battling in National Pokémon Trading Card Championship

Name: Derek Kaplan

Age: 9

School: Derek attends home school, but he would be in 3^rd grade in public school

Community: Gulf Harbors

Reason for Awesomeness:

Derek Kaplan will be competing in the Pokémon Trading Card Game National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, in July.

Derek will be entering the competition’s juniorsdivision. If he rises to one of the top eight spots in his division, he could get an invitation to the World Championship in San Diego, California, in August and a scholarship to be used toward his education.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is based on the popular and ever-evolving Pokémon video game series, which launched on the Nintendo Gameboy in Japan in 1996, jumped overseas and spawned a monster international franchise.

The games have spawned anime TV series, movies, plush merchandise and the trading card game.

Derek, who is home schooled by his mother, doesn’t play any version of the video game.

“My mom is afraid to get us a D.S. (a portable game system),” he said. “Because she’s afraid when we look down, we’ll get addicted.”

In the video game, and its sequels, players try to catch and train every Pokémon, fictional monsters, some of which can evolve into more and more fantastic creatures.

The players can trade these creatures among themselves and battle each other or characters in the game. The bestiary originally contained 150 Pokemon to catch. The catalog of species to catch has since grown to 649.

There’s the iconic Pikachu; a mouse with a lightning bolt tail.

There’s Infernape; a fiery ape.

There’s Jumpluff; a round plant creature with tufts of cotton extending from its body.

There are dragons, giant insects, chimeras with giraffe heads and all manner other oddities that can’t be easily categorized.

In trading card game tournaments, players win by “battling” collectible Pokémon cards. Each time an opponent's Pokémon is knocked out, a player earns a prize card. Get six or get the most before a time limit runs out, and you win.  

Is Derek, who is home schooled in Gulf Harbors, addicted to the trading card game?

“Not addicted. Addicted. Addicted,” he said. “But addicted. Addicted.”

For instance, he doesn't play at home as much as he once did.

Card games run in the family. Derek's older brother, Adam Kaplan, now 15, became the youngest Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League in 2006. He was called a prodigy at the age of 7 by the St. Petersburg Times. 

Derek got into the Pokémon Trading Card Game around three years ago., introduced by another home-schooled friend.

“I really liked it,” he said. “And then I got my twin brother (Evan) into it. And then I got my older brothers into it. And I knew it was going to be a lot of fun once we got good at it. And we did.”

Derek also got his 12-year-old brother, Jaron Kaplan, into the game. And his mother, Loni Kaplan. And his father, Todd Kaplan.

Derek won third place in his age group in the Play! Pokémon Trading Card Game Regional (TCG) Tournament in Orlando on April 16. A regional win is not required to participate in nationals, but it helps add to his overall stats, badges and decks.

This year’s national championship, which runs July 8-July 10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, is Derek’s second time playing on the national stage. In 2010, he won regionals and got a paid trip to nationals along with a $1,500 scholarship. He did not make it to to the World Championships that year.

Right now, he and his family, who have traveled across state lines to play in games,  are engaging in smaller competitions, which helps Derek increase his stats and decks. In a tournament in Lakeland on May 28,  Derek won the junior divisons, Jaron won the senior division and Todd won the masters division.

Playing the game probably helped Derek with his reading, Loni said.

“And it definitely helped Evan,” she said. 

It also helped him learn strategy and meet other kids.

“I basically play and have fun and make friends,” Derek said. “And I’m good at it."

Cheer Derek on at the national tournament, which runs July 8-July 10.

Or play or trade cards with him right here in Pasco County. Loni Kaplan has organized a Pokemon Trading Card League in Holiday. This summer, it meets every Thursday at the Burger King on the east side of U.S. 19 at its intersection with Moog from 4:30-6:30 p.m.