About
The Celadon City Gym originally opened in 2013 and remained so until the summer of 2014. The original web address was celadoncitygym.com and the original mission was to educate all players about the Pokémon Trading Card Game. That mission continues at celadoncitygym.org, but it will be broadened in 2021 and beyond. We will continue to educate about the Pokémon Trading Card Game, but we will now shine a light on some of the factors that impact the mental health of players.
In the world of Pokémon, the gyms serve a critical role within the competitive community of Pokémon trainers. The core function of a gym is to test the abilities of the trainers who challenge the gym leader. The gyms provide many other services to the community, however. We often see gyms serving as sources of information, inspiration and support for trainers. They help us improve and they help us learn.
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In the world of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (i.e. our present world), we receive the core service of the gym from the Pokémon Company through the Play! Pokémon tournament system. We receive many of these other services from dedicated players, professors, parents and tournament organizers. There is a rich collection of information about the game on the internet, but there are gaps. There is a rich sense of community, but this does not universally prevent the onset of isolation and loneliness. There is an acknowledgement that applying more and more cognitive attention will improve our skills as players, but there is not an acknowledgement of the potential unintended consequences of doing this.
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The Celadon City Gym is here to do what we can to fill the information gap, foster community and promote the factors that can have a positive impact on the mental health of players.
Colin Moll
I was first exposed to the world of Pokémon at the age of nine when I happened upon "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City" (the seventh episode of the anime) before school one day. My journey as a trainer started at the age of ten when I opened my first booster pack from Base Set and that Machamp theme deck. I am now in my thirties and can't imagine what my life would be like without these early exposures. I did take a break from the Pokémon Trading Card Game between 2014 - 2019, but you never really leave.
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As far as accomplishments in the TCG, I placed Top 8 at the 2004 World Championship and Top 4 at the 2008 US National Championship. I have won one Regional Championship (2008), two Gym Challenges (2004 and 2005), and seven State Championships (in most of the years leading up to and including my last full season of playing: 2013). I am also very proud of my smaller tournament wins and high placements at various States, Regionals, and Gym Challenges throughout the years.
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With regards to other parts of my life, I have a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and work in clinical informatics for a hospital system in Portland, Oregon. When I am not battling against trainers or the technostress and burnout associated with healthcare technology, you can find me in NE Portland with my two dogs and husband...or on Twitter @ColinMollPx.
