Equestrian events have long been a source of controversy in the HumanLympics1: is it really fair to give medals to humans when the horses are doing most of the work?
Our orbicular athletes don’t have time to ponder such philosophical questions. They’re in it to win it, and if they have to let a 3D-printed plastic raft do most of the work, then so be it.
The water course is perilous, with many opportunities for disaster. In addition to rocks and uneven walls, the marbles must also face waterfalls and vegetation. Getting caught on a plant can send a promising run tumbling down the leaderboard. There’s very little room for error.
Though speed is necessary to secure a berth on the podium, recklessness is punished: sending marbles overboard adds penalty seconds to a team’s time. Mellow Yellow and the Thunderbolts each sent two of their teammates into the water. The Jungle Jumpers did the same right off the bat. As a result, those teams took the bottom three spots in this event.
In the end, good, clean, forward movement was rewarded; teams that spun around too much didn’t make the cut. The Midnight Wisps and the Hazers took silver and bronze, respectively, with near-perfect runs. But it was the Green Ducks that triumphed with a new MarbleLympics record of 33.74 seconds, beating out their closest competitor by over two seconds. They really took this event like a duck to water, eh?
Stray thoughts:
- With their victory, the Green Ducks have nabbed the first-place spot from the Raspberry Racers, who finished in sixth in this event. Quack quack!
- The Crazy Cat’s Eyes almost lost a marble – Green Eye fell out of its divot and was rolling around the raft’s surface – but he only fell off after the finish line.
- The teams had a choice between a white raft and a black raft. Obviously the O’rangers went with the black raft for some Halloween synergy.
- I liked the establishing shot with the mill. The production values have really gone up this season.
Next up: The Elimination Race! That sounds ominous.
Complete stats for the 2019 MarbleLympics can be found at the MarbleLympics Wiki.