A great philosopher once asked, “How high can a marble jump?” I don’t know. How high can a marble jump? Today, we’ll find out.
Like in the inferior human high jump, marbles get a running start before attempting to launch themselves over a bar. Two failed attempts in a row, and they’re out. But if they succeed within two attempts, then the bar is placed half a centimetre higher.
In this event, it’s not just a matter of height; the launch angle matters too. Getting a big launch off the ramp is all for naught if the angle is too shallow; the marble will merely hit the bar from below.
All teams except the the Oceanics, the Raspberry Racers, and the Savage Speeders manage to advance out of the first round; hitting the 37.0 cm mark is no problem for them.
In the second round, the new mark is set at 38.5 cm. This eliminates the Minty Maniacs, the Thunderbolts, the Crazy Cat’s Eyes, the Midnight Wisps, and the Hazers. Now only half the teams are left.
In the third round, the new mark is set at 39.0 cm. The eliminates the Green Ducks, the Hornets, Team Momo, and the Balls of Chaos. The mark is then moved up to 39.5 cm, which eliminates Team Galactic and Mellow Yellow. Finally, at 40.0 cm, the O’rangers best the Bumblebees, giving the former the gold and the latter the silver. Mellow Yellow takes the bronze.
Stray thoughts:
- I laughed when Whizzy of the Savage Speeders screwed up the 35.5 cm jump by hitting the bar from above.
- Another moment of laughter: Thunder of the Thunderbolts going under the 38.0 cm bar.
- It was nice to see Yellah of Mellow Yellow break the record they set back in 2017, even if they didn’t end up winning the event.
- Even after winning two bronzes, Mellow Yellow is still at the bottom of the standings.
- The O’rangers are running away with the trophy 185 points. It will be very difficult to catch them now.
See you next week for the Aquathlon! I’m sure it’s going to make a splash.
Complete stats for Marble League 2020 can be found at the Jelle’s Marble Runs Wiki.