On The Edge News

BY JUSTIN KEEPES 

Looking to meet new friends, get active, and become a Pokemon Master? Look no further than our very own Edgewood campus. Edgewood has an incredibly large number of Pokestops and Gyms, so come back to school ready battle! Locations of the Pokestops are listed below.

Ever since being announced in September of 2015, Pokemon Go has been a mobile game that seemed poised to make a significant impact upon its release. Needless to say, with the game’s official launch on July 6^th, 2016, the impact has gone above and beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Within 24 hours of launch, Pokemon Go had already topped both the top grossing and free app charts and boosted the stock value of Nintendo overnight.  However, in addition to these major economic impacts, Pokemon Go also made a massive cultural impact. Pokemon Go managed to use the sense of nostalgia that many people, who played the original Red and Blue games, have and bring it into our technology-filled modern culture with powerful innovation.

Originally, Pokemon Go started as an April Fool’s Day joke in which Pokemon were placed around the world through the Google maps interface called “Pokemon Challenge.” After seeing the immense and positive response to the idea, Nintendo started to work on licensing out the Pokemon rights to developer Niantic.

Niantic, a software development company that started as an internal start-up at Google, was in a perfect position to create Pokemon Go as it is today. Repurposing a fair amount of their previous AR game, Ingress, Niantic had most of the difficult work of designing the world, such as Pokestops and Gym locations, done before development of Pokemon Go really even got started. However, what Niantic and Nintendo wanted to do with the new mobile app was create a sense of community between players. They wanted collecting and battling new Pokemon a key element to the game. Also, they wanted to create a real world experience that is drastically different than anything that has been created before.

Using real world locations and incorporating the need for the player to actually move distances as opposed to merely tricking the gyroscope, allowed for Niantic to create exactly what Nintendo wanted. It is a game that needs to be played in public and people can make connections over.  Now, through Pokemon Go, players are going out and exploring the world around them in the name of “catching ‘em all.”

In the app, Pokestops and Gyms tend to be historically relevant locations or interesting pieces of art that are on display publically. As a result, in areas where public art or major landmarks are densely packed there are Pokestops a-plenty.

Fortunately, being a college/private high-school campus, Edgewood also boasts an incredibly high number of Pokestops, 25, and three Gyms at which students of all ages can gather and battle. Even though most of these Pokestops are buildings and artwork that are seen every day, Pokemon Go gives these locations new meaning and importance. The app challenges it’s players to stop and see the world around them, and maybe even make a few friends in the process. With Pokemon Go finally out and in the wild, many players are starting to make connections with other players by exchanging tips and Pokemon locations. On a campus like Edgewood, it is likely that this year Pokemon Go will be common ground for roommates to bond over and the issue that will tear entire dorms apart.

Below is a complete list of Pokestops that can be found on Edgewood’s Campus:

• Edgewood

This Pokestop can be found at the corner of Monroe Street and Edgewood Avenue.  It encompasses the campus as a whole and includes a short paragraph in the description section about the history of the Edgewood Campus.

• The Edgewood Rock

This Pokestop can be found at the end of the high school’s driveway.  This rock is decorated by the graduating seniors of each year and remains on display until covered up by the decorations of the following year.

• Edgewood College

This Pokestop can be found at the entrance to DeRicci on Woodrow Street.  While it may seem a little redundant, who is going to turn down free Pokeballs?

• The Stream Art Center

One of the newest buildings constructed on Edgewood’s campus, the Stream houses the Art Department and the Edgewood Gallery. While you are out catching Pokemon, why not stop into the gallery and see if you can spot any pesky Smeagles making some new art?

• Edgewood Drive West Entrance and Edgewood Drive East Entrance

These two Pokestops are about as unexciting as Pokestops can get. One is located at either end of the Park and Pleasure drive located behind the Edgewood Campus. If you’re looking for a relaxing walk through nature while out Pokemon hunting, try walking back and forth between these two. The distance between these two points is just long enough for the cooldown timer to expire.

• Edgewood Park and Pleasure Drive

In addition to the entrances, the Park and Pleasure Drive gets a Pokestop all its own. This Pokestop also features a short article in the description section and details the history of the road going back to 1894.

• Edgewood Community Boardwalk

Loving this walk through nature and still want more? Head down to this Pokestop and go exploring along the edge of Lake Wingra. If you are in need of a water-type to put out an opposing Charizard’s fiery spirit, this is the place for you.

• Indian Bird and Panther Effigy Mounds

While they are technically two different Pokestops, these burial effigy mounds are a couple of the most interesting features on Edgewood’s campus. The Bird mound is located between the Stream and DeRicci in the courtyard, while the Panther mound is located behind Siena and is easily reached from the Park and Pleasure Path

• Phil Hansen Memorial

Phil Hansen was a longtime college employee who worked in Dining Services.  In 2007, the dining hall was renamed to Phil’s in his honor and this memorial was placed on the campus as an additional way to thank him for his 36 years of service to the college.

• Joanna’s Garden

We were unable to discover too much information about this particular Pokestop, other than what is on the plaque in the picture on the app. Johanna Demas was a Biology Major in the class of 2007. Much like Mewtwo, the rest is a mystery.

• Partnership Artwork

Partnership is one of Edgewood’s and the Dominican faith’s core values. This artwork serves as a way to commemorate that value. If you are interested in learning more about this display, then grab your Pokedex and head down to the Pokestop and read up on it in the information section.

• Oscar Romero of El Salvador Memorial

Oscar Romero of El Salvador was the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador and known for speaking out against social injustice and poverty. After his assassination on March 24^th, 1980, Oscar Romero became a martyr for his cause. His memory and message live on through the memorial mural located near the Wingra Café.

• Joseph Chapel Memorial

One of the most prominent pieces of artwork on campus, the St. Joseph Chapel Memorial is painted on the side of the building and uses abstract geometric shapes. This memorial is easy to overlook but definitely worth a few minutes of time to appreciate.

• Edgewood School Campus Sculpture

This Pokestop is another piece of prominent art on campus that is often overlooked. The statue, located in front of the elementary school on campus, features an adult leading two children by the hand. One child has their hand outstretched as if to say, “It’s dangerous to go alone, take these Pokeballs.”

• Joseph Protect Us

Ever want to sit in the middle of the woods restocking your Pokeballs while a statue of St. Joseph hovers over your shoulder, both protecting you and silently judging your decision to join Team Valor? Thanks to Pokemon Go, that’s an entirely real scenario if you decide to take a break at this Pokestop.

• Jennifer Hackworthy Gambino Memorial

Even though I’m a fifth year student here at Edgewood, I managed to learn something about the campus through my Pokemon Go research. As it turns out, the stone bench between Siena and the campus school is a memorial for Jennifer Hackworthy Gambino. If you are interested in her story, then take a break at this Pokestop and read the information section.

• Edgewood, Rain Gardens

This Pokestop is brought to the campus courtesy of the Edgewood Biology Department. Designed as a “bioretention” system, these gardens are meant to help increase the infiltration of rain into the ground and reduce pollutants entering the ground water supply. In short, Bellsprouts for days.

• Edgewood, Statue of Mary

This small Pokestop, located just outside of the Dominican dorm, features a beautiful alcove and statue of the Virgin Mary. However, it is also the place were smokers that live in Dominican tend to hang out, so keep that in mind. But if you are looking for a Koffing or Weezing, then maybe that’s a good thing.

• Edgewood Dominican Hall

Dominican Hall is special to Edgewood because it was the first LEED silver certified residence hall in the state of Wisconsin. Now that it has been revealed as a Pokestop, the reason for that is very clear. It’s all the Electabuzzes and Voltorbs in the basement that are keeping the lights on.

• Henry Predolin Humanities Center

This Pokestop is the most centrally located Pokestop on campus. Out front, anyone coming to Edgewood College passes a lovely fountain and multiple flower beds that send out a very clear message, Weedle and Caterprie found here!

• Regina Hall

Regina hall was a girl’s only dorm on campus until last year, when a single co-ed hallway was introduced. In addition, it’s also wrapping up construction on a new section of the building. If anyone is hoping to get one of the Machamp or Rhydon helping with construction, I would recommend doing so before the semester starts.

• Edgewood College Facilities and Operations

Some Pokestops are a little messier than others and this one is no exception. The facilities team keeps the grounds clean and the college running smoothly, so why not thank a couple members of the team while you are restocking your Pokeballs. At the very least, maybe someone can point you in the right direction for a Grimer or Muk.

• Edgewood Krantz Center

The Edgewood Krantz Center is a section of the High School that houses their gymnasium and indoor pool. So in all likelihood, this is where the Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are hanging out and constantly getting into fights.

• Todd Wehr Edgedome

Speaking of fights, this last Pokestop, the Todd Wehr Edgedome, is where some of our sports teams play including mens and womens basketball and volleyball. Maybe Pokemon battling can be added the list of extra-curricular uses this year as well.