Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have competed in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on the Green Gang, a team that competed in both seasons of the Hubelino Tournament. Read on to find out how this team greened the competition!
The Green Gang grew up in the small jungle village of Taygrania. Friends from a young age, Baldie, Bugsy, Parole, and Rattler entertained themselves by playing sports in their free time. The group found themselves enjoying sports more than their classmates, quickly realizing that they wanted to compete in local sports competitions.
“The local competitions were a very important part of our career; not only did they help train us athletically, they also shaped our foundational principles,” revealed Baldie. “As we aged past our local leagues, we learned the importance of being open to accepting help, as well as how to give it. Our equipment was very limited; we often just raced through the jungle to a finishing point, helping us learn how to adapt and make the most of what we had. We also learned the importance of putting in work — if you push yourself to do your best, you can go from a nervous youth with a love for sports to a team known throughout the region. Without those experiences, I don’t think we would be anywhere near the level we reached during our athletic career.”
Once all the team members had graduated, the four moved to Longdan to pursue their sporting careers. Excited by the opportunities of the big city, the group immediately got to work in the local gym. Impressed by their camaraderie, as well as their rainforest origin, the members of the gym gave them the nickname: “The Green Gang.”
In doing research for this RetRollSpective, I spoke to Dragon’s Egg, a Marble Rally competitor who trained at the gym at the same time as the Green Gang.
“If only you could see them training, they were the most dedicated team I’d ever met: they even slept in the gym some nights! This team lives and breathes sports. They’re also just great marbles to be around. If anyone at the gym was struggling, one of the Gang would always be there to give them some words of encouragement to help them on, me included.”
After months of work and lots of encouragement from their gym friends, the Green Gang decided to enter the inaugural Ramen Bowl in 2006, debuting in its lower league for teams that were up and coming. With a short eight-event season, the Green Gang earned five golds in an amazing start — in their first competition since moving out of the jungle. Impressed by their unexpected victory, organizers working with the Ramen Bowl offered the Green Gang the chance to compete in the championship league the following year. Astonished, the team knew that they would have to train harder to stand a chance in the top tier.
Before the team knew it, the Ramen Bowl had rolled around again. The team entered a large stadium for the first time and was amazed by the sheer number of fans coming to cheer on their team.
“Going into the first event, we always knew that it would be a step up, but the atmosphere in the stadium was electric, like nothing we had felt before!” claimed Bugsy. “After the opening ceremony, I went back into the training room to see the Ramen Runners strategizing. I was starstruck! These were the marbles that I had on my wall as a kid; I couldn’t believe that I was going to compete with them! Nervous, I rolled over to them and introduced myself, and they found it crazy that somebody could idolize them that much. That energy from meeting them led to bronze in our first event. As the rest of the events went by, the Runners showed us the ropes of marble sports competitions. Although we came fifth, we were proud of each other for just getting there.”
The team continued to develop, collecting more and more prizes, until 2009, when Parole came down with a rare illness. I asked them about this issue:
“One day I was training on the Rolling Machine at the gym when suddenly I felt faint. We had done courses on health and safety in marble sports, so I did everything I was taught to do, but I wasn’t feeling better after a few hours, so I went to the infirmarblery. The doctors there ran some checks and couldn’t diagnose me, so they kept me there to rest up. I don’t know what I would have done without my incredible friends — they came to visit me every day and were so supportive.”
“Finally, a diagnosis came in, and to my dismay, they told me that I wouldn’t be able to participate in the upcoming Ramen Bowl. Honestly, I think I was the most upset among the team; everyone else just wanted me to get better.”
The Green Gang withdrew from competitions for the time being, and decided to visit a known medical professional specializing in research on Parole’s illness: Professor Rollus, located in Numerun. “While visiting the professor, the Green Gang was introduced to one of the Professor’s teaching assistants, Red Number 3.”
“I had seen pictures of them in the Ramen Bowl,” said Red Number 3, “so I recognized who they were. At the time, I had my eyes set on a career in sports medicine, but I couldn’t help but talk to them about how they wanted to race down the historic Colina Umerun. I knew a marble in my university course who worked there, so I managed to get them a reservation to practice. While the rest of the Gang was racing, a still-recovering Parole chatted to me in a nearby coffee shop and we discussed the important role of medics in marble racing. After what seemed like hours of conversation, Parole encouraged me to look into building a career in marble racing. I shrugged it off at the time.”
“After the rest of the Green Gang returned, I told them about the Surculo League here in Numerun and how I volunteered with the medical team. The team revealed how they felt stuck in Longdan and wanted to travel the world. By then, Professor Rollus had notified the group that they would need to monitor Parole to give them better treatment. The Gang went to their hotel for the night, and the next day, they let me know that they would stay long-term in Numerun.”
As Parole recovered, the team looked into joining the entry league for Surculo 2010. The team was unsure if Parole would be able to compete, but Professor Rollus assured Parole that they would be ready by the starting date. The Gang prepared for the event and, according to Baldie, “the location change reignited a spark that we hadn’t had since first moving out of the jungle.” With renewed motivation, they finished second overall in what was described by one local newspaper as “the most unexpected finish of the century.” Spurred on by this podium, the Green Gang pledged to fulfill their dream of traveling and learning from competitions across Marblearth.
During their travels, the Green Gang ended up in Knikkegen to observe the KML. Visiting a local art gallery, the Gang started chatting with art connoisseurs Mary and Prim. “Looking back at it now,” said Prim, “It was such a coincidence that we both ended up in the same profession! We got chatting and one thing led to another and we ended up back at mine and Mary’s place. I had a chat with Rattler about art and I agreed to make a logo and design for the team. Even though we don’t see each other often, our two teams have kept in contact ever since. When we first got into marble sports around 2013, the Green Gang came all the way to Knikkegen just to help us train for a few weeks!”
We found this extract from Rattler’s travel diary after their time in Knikkegen:
Bug Circuit:
It was great to see a brand new competition have its first season! All the marbles there were very enthusiastic and there were even some rivalries forming! The area around where we were staying was beautiful; I went on a few walks there and on one of them, I met a Bug Circuit competitor Vespa (Note to self: Send Vespa our balancing tips).
Fruit Circuit:
From one circuit to another, we were very excited to visit the Fruit Circuit, so we booked a few weeks! I had heard of Greg Woods through their reputation, so I went to try and find them. They were friendly and welcoming, and although it was too late for us to compete, Woods asked if we could train some newcomers. The new team that we were assigned to train was called the Raspberry Racers, whose name I love! The team and I had a blast working with the Racers and I hope that we get to see each other soon, maybe even compete together one day?
Herbotamia Tournament:
Another fairly new tournament. It was a great experience, even if we didn’t compete. I liked the style of the tournament there, and the teams seemed nice too. The Black Jacks got the gold, and the Minty Maniacs got second – there was just one point between them. Team Phoenix got bronze, above the Golden Wisps and the Ruby Rollers. We met lots of nice marbles, I think Parole is still in touch with Minty Drizzel. This touring thing has been a lot of fun, but I’m honestly quite exhausted!
“By around the third year of traveling, all of the team was in agreement that the “on-the-road” lifestyle was wearing them down” acknowledged Baldie, “so it was a blessing when the Ramen Bowl sent us an invitation for 2013. We were looking forward to going back home until we realized that we had nowhere to stay! I contacted the Ramen Bowl managers to tell them the bad news, but they came back to me with an offer. A newer team who had caught the eye of the Ramen Bowl, Team Momo, had also been seeking accommodation. We contacted Mo and they told us about this great apartment they had looked at, but couldn’t afford. We decided to move in together.”
“What I found incredible about the Green Gang was how they never got tired of sports; they dedicated their lives to it and never looked back, even when it was looking bad for them,” Momomomo revealed. “Even though we were competing against each other, our bond grew throughout the years, and we even won back and forth with them: we won in 2013, then they won in 2014! When we won our second Golden Noodle in 2015, the Marble League was announced and there was a transfer spot for our team. While we were excited, we hoped the Green Gang would get a similar opportunity.”
“During my time in Marble League 2016,” continued Momomomo, “I heard about Jelle running the Hubelino Tournament – I knew this was exactly what the Green Gang needed. I told the Gang and asked Jelle if they could compete, and they were invited to compete in Hubelino 2016.”
The Green Gang went into the inaugural Hubelino Tournament hopeful for a win due to their experience. However, it came as a shock to all their fans when they started the season with a sixth and a seventh.
“The first two events were harder than we thought they would be,” admitted Parole. “With a tie for last place, we weren’t where we hoped we would be. We went into the Halfpipe Crash hopeful for a good result, so we were full of energy going against the Ruby Rollers in Round 1. Just when we thought all was lost, Rattler managed to roll onto a 10, earning us a spot to advance. With that surprise win, we came up with a strategy: three of us would help one of us roll onto a high score, even if it meant that three of us got zero. Luckily for us, it worked, with Baldie getting a massive nine points! We managed to get our first gold of the tournament.”
“The Elimination Maze was by far the most terrifying,” explained Rattler. “The fact that you could get stuck on almost any part of the course meant that you had to pay attention to everything. I certainly don’t blame Baldie for the seventh place because I would have gotten last.”
“Next up was the Quartet Jump, which was quite similar to the Halfpipe Crash, so we were fairly confident. There was, however, a moment when Parole and I crashed into a tower at the same time and it half came off its stand! I looked at Parole and we both rolled back as quickly as we could, but somehow we clinched bronze in the event. While not that notable, the Pursuit Slalom is my favorite. For me, it is such a graceful race, and relies on our strength: teamwork. That’s how we got our second consecutive bronze.”
“We used our teamwork and stamina to grab a third consecutive bronze,” continued Bugsy, “but somehow we remained in fifth place! The Combination Race, which we thought was the final event, was a miracle. I was consistently around fifth place, but in the final maze stretch, I took a straight line and glided past into first place. We were all tense about the overall scores, so you can imagine our confusion when we ended up with a tie due to the double points awarded. While we expected a tiebreaker event to be held, we were surprised when Jelle decided to add a further four events to the tournament – and we were ecstatic to continue the competition.
Because of my performance in Combination, the Gang chose me to represent them in Halfpipe Dash. I love this event; it just feels like a rollercoaster! I got an easy victory in the first round, but in the final round, it felt like I would just miss out on the podium. However, I sped down two halfpipes into first place, mirroring my finish in Combination. After two golds in a row, we were at the top of the standings overall, and now we just needed to stay there.”
“I was first in the Relay Race, so I felt a lot of pressure!” admitted Baldie. “I thought I had a good start, but sadly it was not enough and we landed a disappointing three points in the event. I know that we should have been optimistic about possibly finishing second overall, but it was hard to lose a lead in a tournament after we just got it.”
“We went on summer break, and as we were watching Marble League 2017’s Fidget Spinner Collision, we saw Momomomo’s horrible accident,” said Rattler, sounding distressed. “We rushed to the hospital as soon as we could. It was difficult to see such a good friend get hurt, so I stepped outside for a bit. It was there that I bumped into Team Primary, who were currently in first overall.”
“They said that they wanted to see Momomomo, but didn’t want to intrude. I told them to come in, and they got chatting with Team Momo and all three teams left to get coffee. However, I remember Parole staying with Momomomo in the hospital — they were reminded of their illness and couldn’t leave Momomomo alone. I talked about our Hubelino performance with Prim and Mo, and I think they helped to give me the motivation to put in the effort and have hope for the final two events.”
Wanting to stay near Momomomo, all 13 members of the three teams decided to stay in a hotel next to the hospital. The remaining members of Team Momo approached Parole with an offer to substitute for Momomomo while they were in the hospital, but it would have meant reducing the time spent training for the Hubelino Tournament. While Parole would have loved to join forces with their old friends, they couldn’t abandon their beloved team. They suggested that they wait a bit and find another athlete to join forces with.
“Finally, as October rolled around, we had to get back for the end of Hubelino. I remember Block Pushing very clearly, it was probably our last chance to make a bid for the championship,” recalled Parole. “In our first round, we just managed to beat the Minty Maniacs by one-tenth of a block. We then lost out in the semi-finals by a massive margin, but Parole reminded us that not all was lost, we could still do well. And with that pep talk, we once again managed to win by one-tenth of a block, securing a bronze medal and first place overall.
By the final event, Ball Battle, there were only really two teams in contention for first place. We weren’t in the same group as the Rollers, so potentially the whole championship was in the hands of other teams. Luckily for us, the Ruby Rollers came last in their group with just one point. With the Wisps also not advancing, we later won the event and the championship! We were ecstatic! We had won competitions before, but this one just felt different.
As soon as we had finished the official celebration, we knew we had to celebrate the most important people there: the tournament crew. The team behind the Hubelino Tournament was small and we had gotten to know them quite well throughout the tournament, especially as they were the only audience in the stadium. As a thank you for their hard work, we invited all of the crew members to our celebration party in Taygrania. Getting to speak to the camera marbles, the medics, the stewards, the caterers, it was amazing to hear how sports had impacted their lives for the better, even when it wasn’t through competing.”
During the celebrations, Greg Woods approached the team with an offer. Greg was impressed by the Gang’s success and wondered if they could help a new team as part of a mentoring initiative. With an absence of competitions, the Green Gang accepted and headed to Knikkegen to meet their team. When they arrived, the Gang were met by another green team: the Noxious Ivy. The teams started chatting and the Noxious Ivy caught the Gang up on their history.
“We took a liking to them very quickly,” Baldie described. “They reminded us of what we were like in our early days.”
“We traveled all around the Marblearth, starting at Knikkegen.” said Ivy. “The Gang told us lots of their secret training regimens and top tips for certain events. We gladly started training more. While we were with the Gang, they got an offer to temporarily merge with Team Momo, but they decided to complete the tour with us which was such an honor.
After that, we visited many more places in Marblearth — including the Green Gang’s favorite city, Numerun. As a special surprise, Parole got us tickets for the final two events of the 2018 Marble League! We went up to the Arctic Circle to see Ice Hockey. I was cheering for Team Momary, so I was on the edge of my seat when they got a transfer spot through one goal. Sadly they lost out to the Wisps, but now I can appreciate how hard it was for them to get that far!
We traveled with the competitors to the Bakker Bowl for the final event,” Ivy continued, “as the Gang was friends with many of the teams. Seeing the Green Gang talk to so many marbles helped me to realize what made this team special: they didn’t just race to win, they always made bonds and grew as marbles as well. I think that lesson helped us get invited to Marble ManiaX, as we already knew so many of the teams.
With five months left on our mentoring program, the Green Gang had an idea. They thought it would be good for us to join their tour, maybe even compete in some events. We went to many of the tournaments that I had dreamed of growing up, but by far my favorite thing was when we got to compete in a showcase event at the MFC Championship League – an obstacle course made up of different elements and finishing with a massive dive.”
Parole resumed, “I was visiting the Colina Umerun a few days before the Surculo when I felt some pains in my left side. I immediately knew what had happened: my illness had resurfaced. I got off the course as soon as I could and called an ambulance. I had to stay in the hospital longer this time, but the Gang stayed with me. I was still sad that we couldn’t compete in one of the tournaments that shaped our successes.
I was having regular check-ups with Professor Rollus, and they told me that there was good news and bad news. The good news was that I could go home, but I would need to have someone with me at all times to make sure I was OK, and I also couldn’t do any physical activities for the next month. By this time, the Noxious Ivy had decided to do some more specialist training with some other teams in Hunluen, so the only marbles to look after me were my team. I insisted that they find someone else so that they could train, but they decided to stay with me.
Although I had recovered by the start of the Hubelino Tournament, we hadn’t had much time to train so we knew that this season would be very different from the previous one. We had no time to prepare for the Swing Wave, finishing last after losing every heat. Even though we were expecting that, it still hurt.”
“The next event was the Catwalk,” Bugsy added, “which required a lot of coordination and strategy, which we also hadn’t been able to practice. We managed a fifth-place finish as the only non-advancing team with a win.
The next event was the Funnel Race, which was always Parole’s event. I reluctantly offered myself to go in, knowing my inexperience in that area of racing. The first time around, five marbles all got stuck in the top funnel, but I got through. The race was aborted, which was annoying as I was on a path to earning a medal.
The second time around, I got off to an alright start, but my stamina couldn’t hold and I was soon by myself in the final funnel. A tactical bump from Gorby sealed my fate: and trust me, two out of three finishes in last was not where we wanted to be at this stage in the tournament.
Despite my performance in the last event, I was chosen for the Halfpipes too. It wasn’t that I did badly, it was just how close I came to doing well. In the first race, I had a good lead going into the final halfpipe and was about a second from winning when Bumble came out of nowhere and shoved me aside, relegating me to the race-off with the Black Jacks. There, I had a nearly two-halfpipe lead. When I got into the final halfpipe, I got stuck momentarily in a gap between the track and the halfpipe. Spade then pushed me up the ramp again and slid through to the transfer spot – that still bothers me to this day.”
“The fifth event was Block Bumping, and we were up first,” said Baldie, taking over the story. “We went into the event with a strategy to get the blocks onto the board, but then to push them up further and to the side when we went up ourselves. However, it only worked for three blocks. With a zero pointer and just one block past the five mark, we got last again. Going into the Relay Race, we knew that we had to be in the top two to even have a chance at an overall win. In our first race, it was a nail-biting finish, but ultimately the Bumblebees won by one-hundredth of a second. While we admit that the Minties’ comeback in the final race made the Relay a great event, it spelt doom for us.
The penultimate event was the Maze, but it was more like an elimination race! In the first race, I took some shortcuts and got down in second place, but that didn’t matter, it was just about not getting last. We were doing OK in the next round, but then a chain of four marbles bunched up with me to get us stuck momentarily. Then, Gonzo hit Goldby, bumping me up a curve and back down to dislodge all the others. Sadly, because I put all my energy into the impact, I couldn’t dislodge myself and we were eliminated second to last. By that point, we could only move up to seventh from eighth, so we decided that we would just enjoy the end of the tournament as best we could.”
“At this point,” Parole added, “I was healthy, and as I had lots of missed opportunities earlier in the tournament, the Gang let me do the last race: the Big Tower. This, in my opinion, is the best marble racing event ever, for racers and viewers. Sadly, I only got the opportunity to do it once, but it was the highlight of all of the Hubelino Tournaments for me, even if we lost. Despite losing, the one thing that I remember distinctly was when Baloo and I were in a funnel together and I managed to shove them through, helping them to win the qualifiers and contribute to their top four overall.
We finished at the bottom of the victory steps. Despite our losses, my highlight of the tournament was seeing all of the Hubelino Tournament team again. So many of them had sent me cards while I was in hospital, they were always on hand whenever I needed anything. I can’t thank them enough for all of their kindness.”
After this loss, the team decided to continue their tour of Marblearth, ending up in Draklin. Tired out, they chose to just watch the competition going on in the Joshdon Stadium. Impressed by the Ducks’ performance and creativity in creating the tournament, the Gang arranged to meet up with them the next day.
However, that night there was an announcement that the Hubelino Tournament had been canceled. The Green Gang were devastated, and they wanted to meet with the other teams to say goodbye, but they could only get tickets back for the following week. Dismayed by this news, the Gang turned up to their meeting with the Ducks with sullen faces. Mallard sympathized with them—many of the smaller tournaments they loved had shut down as the Marble League grew in popularity.
“As we left the meeting, Parole asked us why we had decided to meet the Ducks,” Rattler revealed. “We all agreed we saw a lot of ourselves in the Ducks and wanted to help them succeed and flourish. This is when we had the realization: as much as we loved marble sports and competition, our traveling career had never been defined and fulfilled by our wins and competitions but by those we got to meet and help along the way.”
“We came to a collective agreement that to make a real difference in the lives of marbles across Marblearth, we should focus on the part that has driven us all along, which is why we retired from marble sports and went full-time into coaching and mentoring. We all had our own areas we had our hearts set on so we went our separate ways, but we would regularly meet up to catch up and share stories of how we were changing lives in our chosen context.”
Over a year later, in 2020, a letter arrived at each of the Green Gang’s doors – it was an invite to the Herbotamia Tournament Reunion. Without hesitation, all of the team accepted. Before they went, each athlete provided a short statement about how their lives had changed since Hubelino 2018.
“Since 2018, I think all of our lives have changed beyond anything we could have imagined back then. I started to coach some teams, but it never felt like my ultimate calling. I think that there was a day, maybe a couple of weeks ago, that I realized I owed a lot to my friends and the hometown that had our backs at all times. So after the Reunion, I decided to move back to my hometown, Taygrania. I am settling back in and am currently exploring how I can best serve my community and see others get the opportunities the marbles of Taygrania gave to me.”
~Parole
“Similar to Parole, I didn’t feel that full-time mentoring worked for me, but I knew that I still wanted to be part of the marble sports world. Thinking back on it, I don’t know how I didn’t get this idea sooner! I was going to make my tournament for beginner marbles looking to get into racing: the Taigra Tournament, after my hometown. The tournaments usually last around a week, and we often get some friends to come in and help—just last summer Vespa dropped by for a few days. While it may not be a professional sports league, I still keep in contact with the Hubelino teams. I also often help send my best youth teams to big tournaments around the world.”
~Bugsy
“My life hasn’t changed much since 2018. I still travel around Marblearth with some teams that are still in the race, like Team Momo. While I don’t formally compete, I train often and have friendly competitions with other marbles. I think that for me, the best thing was to continue with the lifestyle that I was used to, just without the pressure of competition.”
~Baldie
“The coaching lifestyle fit me more than the rest of my team, so I continued to go around, helping out. Then the Noxious Ivy reached out to ask if I could be their coach. I was excited and I said yes immediately! It was worth it, as I feel like I am making a difference by coaching another team. Our lives have changed dramatically, some may even say improved since we retired. But don’t let that fool you, we’re here to win this Reunion.”
~Rattler
We couldn’t get any more information about the results of the Hebotamia Reunion as it was conducted behind closed doors and the marbles in attendance signed a non-disclosure agreement.
A few days after the Reunion, Parole had a resurgence of their illness and was taken to the hospital, where they stayed for a couple of weeks. Speaking at a charity conference after their discharge, Parole gave this statement:
“Those few weeks in the hospital were some of the most important in my life. All around me, I saw marbles whose lives had been put on hold by illness and disability. These were marbles who had dreams, aspirations, and potential. Yet so many marbles deny them these simple things because of their conditions. It was then that I knew I needed to help them. So when I got out of the hospital, I set about making a charity, an organization based in Taygrania to help those in need get the support they need, and give them the opportunity to get into sports. And now, two years later, my dreams have been realized with the formation of the Get Active Now Generation, or GANG for short.
In the last few years GANG has been able to set up offices on every continent of Marblearth, helping fund competitions so that marbles of all backgrounds can come together through sport, especially those with long-term illness or disabilities. We also are working to support all of the industries that help marble sports run, from camera marbles to medics, all play important roles and are vital for the sporting world. We believe sport can help heal individuals and communities and so we want all marbles everywhere to have the opportunity to compete. We work with those in the most rural communities who have few resources and opportunities, to the best Marble Rally athletes. Just recently the rolling stone that is Bugsy pointed us in the direction of an up-and-coming rally racer named Amethyst who was facing some setbacks. GANG has managed to fund their training and has put them on the Young Ambassadors Program, a program aimed at future leaders in the sporting world to help them train and develop while promoting marble sports locally and across Marblearth. I have a feeling Amethyst will go on to do great things.
All of our clubs also have a foundational principle of service: to truly be the best you must look beyond yourself to others. And so we also help the sports clubs serve their local communities in whatever context they are in, whether that be through building work, conservation projects, food drives, whatever their communities need.”
In RetRollSpective, the Green Gang was a team that traveled throughout Marblearth, meeting others and competing in lots of tournaments during the start of the marble sports era. They learned from the best and trained others to be the best, all while striving to improve themselves. They experienced the bottom and top of the standings, but every time they’ve kept on going. Although the team has dissolved, their experiences as the Green Gang have shaped all of its members’ lives forever. Best of luck in the near future, keep on rolling!
“True fulfillment comes through helping those around you.”
~Parole, 2020
Credits
- Writers: Pastelle, Smacg13
- Editors: Edu G. J., Ramen Powder, Stynth
- Artist: Thinkdoodler
- Graphic Designers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, MightyCucumber
- Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, NordiqueWhaler, Pesky, Stynth
- Release: 13/09/2023
Project Marblearth 