Billy had been right—the Green Ducks recovered from their off day and returned to form. The host team was now sitting in 7th, and Mallard, clenching their silver, had earned their second individual medal in the tournament.
“The flows of a funnel remind me of the rivers I see the ducks swim in a lot. They just float on by, no matter how strong the current. I think this event is quite similar,” the Ducks’ captain reflected while staring dreamily into the crowd.
Next to them was Sterling, the gold medalist of this event. “I never thought of it like a river. To me, it’s like a drum. It’s a steady, precise rhythm, yet you can change it up if need be for the piece you’re performing.”
Glimmer looked up at them, commenting, “And you can do a mean drum solo. And a mean funnel solo, too!”
“I’m not sure what it really is to me,” Rezzy piped up, “But whatever it is, I seem to be good at it. It just clicks with me.”
Now a two-time medalist in the funnels, Rezzy admired their bronze with pride. Something about precision and strategy had always spoken to them. One of their fellow former Fruit Circuit teams was rather happy as well.
Knowing they were ending their run with Mellow Yellow on the best note possible, Yelley had stepped down as a team member to allow Yeller, a rising star from the area of Yarbas, a chance to compete amongst their idols.
“It’s strange going from chasing consecutive championships in a rally-style tournament like the Yarb Hill Sprint to competing in unique events with different rules,” noted Yeller. “But what I liked about this event was that it involved a lot of looping.”
“In that vein,” continued Yeller, “it is like running a sprint over and over again, for as long as possible in each funnel. Once I understood that I felt better about running the event. And I made it to the finals! Not bad for a first spin.”
“I never thought of it like that,” admitted Rezzy. “I’m happy that works for you!”
Yeller laughed. “Whatever it is, I seem to be good at it. I hope I’m making Yelley proud.”
Credits
- Writer: PippinPlover, Stynth
- Graphic Designer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Reference: Marble Race: ML22 E6: Funnel Endurance | Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 22/11/2022
Project Marblearth 