there is no joy. only marble. marble go fast in straight line. vroom vroom.
Some, like whoever wrote the preceding paragraph, might consider the 5M sprint a boring event. But the joy of watching a come-from-behind victory is undeniable. Let’s analyze the results, shall we?
The Savage Speeders and the Raspberry Racers easily take the first heat and advance. The second heat is a lot more exciting, with Mellow Yellow falling way behind and the Oceanics snatching second place away from the Bumblebees at the last second while Team Galactic comes out on top. Minty Maniacs get a good start in the third heat for a second-place finish, but the Hazers pick up so much speed that they place first and set a new Marble League record of 5.976 s. In the fourth heat, the Green Ducks quack their way to a photo finish, finishing just behind the first-place Thunderbolts.
Semifinal A sees the world record being broken yet again, this time by the Oceanics — yep, you heard that right, the Oceanics! — with a time of 5.920 s. Meanwhile, the Savage Speeders take second over the Hazers by one thousandth of a second. In Semifinal B, the Minty Maniacs get off to an early lead and keep it, while the Raspberry Racer fends off a challenge from Team Galactic to take second.
In the final, the Savage Speeders get off to an early lead, but the Minty Maniacs pull ahead. Finally, at the last second, the Oceanics get a burst of speed and use it to nab the silver away from the Savage Speeders. Minty Maniacs take the gold.
Stray thoughts:
- With that result, the Minty Maniacs take the top spot in the rankings back from the Yuzu Yahoos.
- Could this be an Oceanics comeback? I’m excited. They’re now in 10th place.
- Though the Green Ducks didn’t manage to advance out of the semis, the important thing is that they denied the O’rangers a chance to move out of the heats. Eat my shorts, Citrus Swindlers.
- Four teams have yet to earn a medal: the Bumblebees; the Thunderbolts; the Green Ducks; and the Hornets. They occupy ranks 12 through 15. Funnily enough, the last-place team, Mellow Yellow, has a bronze.
there is no joy. only marble.
(Stay tuned for the Black Hole Funnel next week.)
Complete stats for Marble League 2020 can be found at the Jelle’s Marble Runs Wiki.