How I started playing Pokémon:
Back in '95, I received a game called Pokémon Red Version as a Christmas present. I started it up, played for a while, and became thoroughly interested. I proceeded to beat the game and to continue raising those fun little critters called Pokémon afterwards. I also got Yellow Version when it came out, and had fun with that one, too. Later, when Gold and Silver came out, I picked up a copy of Gold and found the experience to be superior to the original, since it included a slough of new features, including 100 all-new Pokémon to play with. I picked up Silver as well, since Gold was so much fun. Later came the Game Boy Advance and the advent of Ruby and Sapphire, of which I got Ruby. This leads me to...
How I started playing competitively:
It all started with the Battle Tower in Ruby. I started training Pokémon that I thought stood a chance for the incredible feat of 50 straight wins. Eventually I lost my Ruby game and thus never achieved this goal, but I got LeafGreen to fill the void. I didn't do much competitively with this game, but I took off after Emerald. A while after beating the Elite Four and struggling with the Battle Frontier, I did some research on the internet and found out about hidden game mechanics: the EV/IV system, how exactly breeding worked, how to influence Hidden Power's type and power, and more. Soon (but not soon enough) came Diamond and Pearl, which allowed me to play opponents from anywhere around the globe, and I discovered that what I knew wasn't enough.
How I discovered Smogon:
I did more research on the subjects of competitive battling and discovered the OU ruleset out there. I immediately picked up on the fact that some Pokémon have marked advantages over others after seeing this, and adjusted my teams accordingly. However, in my caution in developing a new team, I wanted perfect movesets for my Pokémon. Google to the rescue. I found Smogon, and they had everything I needed. After ten or twelve return visits, I thought... Why not join this miraculous community? Now here I am, hoping to reap the benefits of the combined experience here and give back more than my fair share.
That's my story. (Thank you if you read the entire thing.)