Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have appeared in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re focusing on Team Galactic, the hosts of Marble League 2020 and third-place medalists of Marble League 2022. Let’s blast off and discover what this team is made of!

The origins of the team lie in Galakonur, a city renowned for scientific advancement, particularly in the field of astronomy. Cosmo, Astron, Starry, and Pulsar, the four original team members, met while working together at the appropriately named Galactic National Space Center, located in the heart of the city. The four worked as co-workers for about a year and a half and became great friends who bonded over their love for sports in their youth, and their successes competing in high school and college.

In 2014, the city announced that it would be holding an athletics competition, the Stardust Classic, in which teams of four marbles would compete against each other in various disciplines. Cosmo and Astron immediately applied and invited Starry and Pulsar to complete their quartet of athletes. The four were accepted into the competition, and on 04 October 2014, the four marbles dominated the fray to everyone’s surprise—and perhaps even their own—winning nearly half of all the events and performing well in almost all the others.

Word of their success quickly spread across the region, with the quartet receiving news coverage and praise beyond the city of Galakonur itself. The emergence of not one, but four marble athletes in a region that severely lacked athletic importance resembled the creation of the universe, in that it seemingly came out of nowhere, but was in fact always there, just waiting, patiently, to show itself. This excitement underscored the announcement of a worldwide marble sports tournament a little while later, none other than the 2016 Marble League. The success of the quartet drove the region to almost unanimously nominate Cosmo, Starry, Astron, and Pulsar to compete in the tournament. The team submitted an application to the Marble League under the name “Team Galaxy” and was accepted.

However, for some unknown reason, the large, internationally known Galaxy™ corporation saw this name as a threat to their business and claimed that legal actions would be taken unless the team changed their name. A news article from a few years later explained,

“…after gaining popularity it got almost sued by the brand “Galaxy™”. After intense negotiations the team ultimately changed its name to “Team Galactic”, as still known today….A fair amount of followers assumed, wrongly, that the team is being sponsored by the brand and has accepted a partnership. Because of that many supporters bought all kinds of products of the Galaxy™ brand but most of all the “Galaxy Toothpaste”™”.

The team ultimately complied with this demand and, just days before the opening ceremony, made a slight change to their name, adopting their new identity, “Team Galactic”. Rumors about a promotional event between the team and a Non-Descript Video Game Company were spread through the marble world, but both parties expressed that no such event was planned to take place.

As one of the original sixteen teams, Team Galactic competed in the first-ever Marble League in 2016. The team showed some potential during the first few events, placing in the middle of the pack. Team Galactic scored their first medal in the fourth event, with Starry getting bronze in the Sand Rally. This put the team at a respectable seventh place overall. Team Galactic continued to place in the top ten throughout most of the following events, notably placing fourth in the High Jump.

However, due to the 2016 scoring system heavily favoring podium finishes, the team finished in eleventh place overall at the conclusion of the 2016 Marble League, tied with the Oceanics in points but behind the team in the medal count. Team Galactic was disappointed but ready to do better in the 2017 Marble League Qualifiers.

And better they did. Team Galactic truly blasted off in the Qualifiers, finishing in third during the Funnel Spinning and placing high fairly consistently to rank sixth for qualification overall. The sky no longer seemed to be the limit for what Team Galactic could achieve, and the team was ecstatic to participate in the 2017 Marble League. Astron noted:

“We’re really happy with how things have gone, you know, with restructuring and training. We’re optimistic to step into this season and leap up to the top of the standings.”

You can imagine, then, that Team Galactic was shocked when they scored dead last in the first event and fifteenth in the second event, which, of course, landed them in last place overall. The team was quite discouraged, but they trusted that their season was far from out of their control. In the third event, Team Galactic finally put eight points on the board, jumping up to fourteenth place, and in the fifth event, they got a much-desired gold medal with Starry’s performance in Hurdles, an event that Cosmo was originally scheduled to compete in. Team Galactic was now in eleventh overall. When asked, Starry could barely speak, they were so excited:

“Completely unexpected…my heart is full.”

Over the coming events, Team Galactic notably scored fourth in the seventh event, Block Pushing, fifth in the ninth event, Steeplechase, and earned their second gold medal with Starry’s incredible run in the last event, the Sand Race. Although the team sat in eleventh place heading into the final event, Starry’s gold medal raised the team to fifth place overall for the conclusion of the 2017 Marble League. In a show of love for their team, Starry invited their teammates onto the top step of the podium with them to celebrate the gold medal, cementing their status as one of the most successful marble athletes in history.

“LOOK AT TEAM GALACTIC!” Greg Woods exclaimed. “Look at Team Galactic, they are going to win the race! O’rangers…lose the battle, but win the war. The O’rangers…lose out to Team Galactic right at the end…”

Team Galactic was flying high into the 2018 Marble League, as placing in the top five made many fans gravitate towards the team. After showing signs of promise in the previous year, Team Galactic rocketed through the 2018 Winter Marble League Qualifiers and qualified before the final event by finishing in the top three in the first three events: Curling, Snow Rally, and 5 Meter Ice Dash. Many expected to see Galactic as a championship contender for the year. However, things didn’t go as the team had hoped. 

Instead of continuing off their success in the Qualifiers, the team faltered badly and ended up spending most of the 2018 Marble League season in the bottom half of the standings. Their only medal would end up being silver in the Bobsled, despite a penalty point. The team was showing decent performances, but certainly not of the caliber that many expected to see. In the penultimate event, Ice Hockey, Pulsar’s younger sibling, Quasar, played goalie, making their Marble League debut as the team reserve. Upon reaching the semifinal, Galactic only needed to win one of their next two matches to secure a medal. Instead, the team dropped both the semifinal game and the third-place game, leaving them with yet another near-miss in fourth place. 

Once again, Team Galactic entered the final event in eleventh place. Instead of getting a gold in the finale to salvage their season, Cosmo got caught up in the moguls and ended up going out in the first round, completing the disappointing season for the team. They would end up finishing in eleventh overall, the same result as 2016. Needless to say, the team and fans alike were extremely disappointed in the outcome. As the captain of the team, Cosmo was hit especially hard, feeling that all of the team’s fans had probably lost most, if not all their faith in them. There were discussions of Team Galactic being dissolved over the offseason, but ultimately the team announced that they would return for the 2019 games.

The offseason demonstrated promise for Team Galactic with a fourth-place finish in the 100 Meter Water Race and by making it to the semifinals in the Amazing Maze Marble Race before being eliminated. The 2019 Marble League Qualifiers brought Team Galactic a second-place victory overall, helped by their first-place finish in the Underwater Race when the team tied with the Hazers. Galactic earned the distinction of “Preseason Champions” after this, referring to their unparalleled consistency in the previous three Qualifiers. Pulsar was flattered after hearing this, stating:

“We try to go beyond what we think is possible for us during off-season training because it sets a good precedent for the rest of the season. It proved successful for us in 2017, and maybe not so successful in 2018, but we’re convinced that this is the best way to run our team. And we’re grateful that you all agree. Hard work pays off.”

Nevertheless, fans of the team had learned not to become too optimistic about the team’s potential during the main tournament. Team Galactic’s fourth appearance, in the 2019 Marble League, began with finishes in the middle of the pack in the first six events, missing many opportunities to break through for a medal. Redemption finally came for the team in the form of Block Pushing,  where Galactic was finally able to medal in an event that they had reached the finals in during the 2017 Marble League. Team Galactic now had their second silver medal. 

Despite the water portion being canceled in the Triathlon, Pulsar was able to make it to the final before being blocked out of a medal by two of the other three finalists. At the halfway point, Team Galactic stood in third place overall, by far their highest placement in Marble League history. However, things would take a turn for the worse. Starry suffered a minor internal injury from the collision in Block Pushing, which rendered them unable to compete in the Hurdles race, an event they won two years ago. Quasar instead competed in the event, beginning a slew of subpar results for Team Galactic in several of the last Marble League events, except for Rafting.

For the third year in a row, the team entered the final event sitting in eleventh place. The final event was another event that Starry had previously won, the Sand Rally, but they wouldn’t compete in this one either, as their hard crash in the Dirt Race had exhausted their energy. Although Coach Black Hole had made admittedly questionable decisions about substituting marbles in events such as the Underwater Race and Hurdles, their decision to put Cosmo in the event turned out to be a great decision, for Cosmo had been running sand races with Starry for about a year.

With a great burst of speed reminiscent of Starry’s gold medal burst two years prior, Cosmo—true to their status as the “jack of all trades” on the team—managed to pass several marbles in the final stretch and finish the race in second, only behind Tumult from the Balls of Chaos. This silver caused Galactic to jump three spots in the final standings, finishing the year in eighth place. After the closing ceremony concluded, the team celebrated Cosmo winning their first medal along with everything else they accomplished over the season.

“I know there are a lot of fans that questioned my leadership during the second half of the season, and I’m sorry for that,” Coach Black Hole reflected. “We didn’t focus a lot on endurance training this season, and I guess that’s ironic, considering that I used to be Astron’s track coach. We’re going to be better next season. I promise.”

As it turned out, Team Galactic would not need to defend their mantle as “Preseason Champions”. Coach Black Hole submitted a hosting bid for the team shortly after the end of the 2019 Marble League, unbeknownst to the team’s members, and Team Galactic was announced as the host for the 2020 Marble League at the end of the Marble League Showdown on 13 September 2019.

The team thought it was a joke at first, but was ecstatic to hear confirmation from their coach that it was true. Astron did not even know of the teaser image that was posted months before the official announcement, as they were on a special mission commissioned by the Galactic National Space Center to visit the International Space Marble orbiting around Marblearth. Astron returned to Marblearth three days later, celebrating their second space adventure along with the hosting announcement with their teammates. They, notably, were the first marble athlete to ever visit outer space.

A few months later, Black Hole received an official letter from the JMRC, inviting the team to compete in the first season of Marbula One. Team Galactic accepted and submitted Starry, “Ursa Superior” and Pulsar, “Cosmic Ray” to compete in the tournament. The team’s reveal poster was designed in cooperation with the Galakonur National Space Center to be as scientifically accurate as possible, depicting the marbles blasting off into the unknown, and was released on 03 November 2019.

“Starry is one of the most important marble athletes,” Coach Black Hole stated. “Pulsar has done well in many of the qualifying events, tying Smoggy for first in the Underwater Race earlier this year. They also placed fourth in the main tournament’s Summer Biathlon, and further want to prove their worth in Marbula One!”

As it turned out, both racers were able to do just that. Starry debuted in Marbula One at the Savage Speedway GP Qualifiers on 15 February 2020, where they qualified in second with a time of 28.37 seconds. They were in the lead for more than half of the race, only falling behind from the second lap to the fifth lap—but it did not matter. Starry won the first gold medal in Marbula One history.

“I have been training for a moment like this my whole life,” Starry said as they came off the track, tears of joy flooding their eyes. “Thank you, everyone, for giving me an opportunity like this.”

Pulsar began their Marbula One career less triumphantly at the O’raceway GP on 22 February 2020, qualifying and finishing the race in twelfth. Team Galactic fell to fourth overall in the team standings, where they remained for the next race as Starry qualified in fifth and finished in seventh at the Momotorway GP. The fourth Grand Prix at the Hivedrive fared much better for Pulsar, who won the race after qualifying in ninth. The “Cosmic Ray” had raced like the speed of light, and it paid off.

Although Starry did not qualify well for Greenstone, they finished the race in eighth, adding four points to their team’s total to trail the Hazers by just one point. Pulsar did not qualify well for either the Short Circuit or the Razzway but was able to finish the latter GP in eighth. The team became one of four teams able to win Marbula One heading into the final Grand Prix at the Midnight Bay Circuit, but Starry did not qualify well and they finished in fifteenth. Team Galactic finished the first season of Marbula One in fifth place overall, with strong performances in the first half of the season proving the potential of the team.

To the Stars and Beyond

an addendum by The Emperor

As the hosts of the 2020 Marble League, Team Galactic prequalified and competed in the Friendly Round. Finishing in each position once, they ended up in second place. They lit the torch in the Andromedome on 21 June 2020, beginning the tournament with high hopes.

It seemed as if Team Galactic was experiencing the alleged host’s curse at the start of the season when they placed fifteenth in Balancing, but as it turned out from their Halfpipe performance, they would encounter a unique type of curse: fifth place. While fans were ecstatic to see the team rebound after a poor start, they would begin to grow weary of Team Galactic’s tendency to place fifth after the third time. Of course, they would eventually place fifth three more times.

Besides their fifth-place result in the Halfpipe, Team Galactic had yet to score well in the top half…until the Newton’s Cradle event. Starry and Pulsar, a breakout duo from their successes in Marbula One, put on another dazzling performance, and while it was not a gold medal, it was something that their team needed desperately. As Starry coasted down the track, they built up energy and rammed into the cradle, ricocheting straight back as Pulsar skipped across the track. The duo was the first to exceed 100 centimeters, and with a score of 106.55, became the team to beat as the event rolled on. 

“I’m definitely a little upset that we didn’t get a gold, but I like to look at the bigger picture, and we have just taken the first step towards changing our fate.” Pulsar said in an interview after the event.

As Team Galactic continued to place in the upper middle of the standings, it was clear that they would break the “host’s curse” that seemed to plague the Oceanics, but they weren’t medaling, either. Following a seventh-place finish from Cosmo in the Long Jump, Team Galactic went on a streak of their now infamous fifth-place finishes, placing in fifth in three consecutive events. Pulsar was especially stung by this, missing out on moving to the Triathlon finals by one-hundredth of a second. With another chain of back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the Black Hole Funnel and the Relay Race, Team Galactic was sitting in the middle of the pack again entering the final four events. Quasar, the reserve, managed to get a very respectable fourth-place finish in the High Jump, besting most of the field. 

“It was a great moment in my career, that’s for sure. I could see the rest of the team cheering me on from the stands, and it just gave me the extra confidence that I needed to pull through!” Quasar remarked after the event.

Following that, Team Galactic would lose in another close finish in the Aquathlon to Team Momo, a team that, according to Astron, was “really starting to pull the best out of us; edging us on like true rivals.” The team was eliminated from championship contention following the Aquathlon. 

After being knocked out in the heats in Collision, the team turned their eyes to Starry for the final event; the Marathon. Despite qualifying poorly, and falling to last place early on, Starry managed to claw back places lap after lap, and by the time the final lap came around, Starry had climbed up to fourth place. Team Galactic would finish the league in seventh, tying the Hazers in points, but losing out to them in terms of medal count.

Heading into the offseason, the team returned to Galakonur. The overwhelming support from their fans, as well as the city’s inhabitants, really motivated the team.

“As popular as they are, I sometimes feel like they don’t get enough credit for their work. They’re pretty consistently middle of the pack but I never worry about them being able to qualify for races or the Marble League because they’re pretty amazing at that. Still, a bit frustrating they’ve yet to podium in any ML but I love them regardless.” ArtsyCipherer, a longtime Team Galactic fan, remarked at a Q&A hosted by the team in Galaknour. During this Q&A session, Cosmo announced that the team would be hosting a reunion with the Stardust Classic teams. 

“Had it not been for the Classic, chances are we might not have made it to the Marble League! And now to have hosted one? It’s been a real blast, and we want to share it all with you!” Cosmo said. With the renovations that had been done to the Andromedome prior to the league, the stadium was in perfect condition to host a Stardust Classic reunion. Some of the prominent teams included the Asteroids, Solar Flares, Purple Rockets, Stargazers, and Supernovas, who all accepted graciously, whereas some teams were busy in other leagues. The tournament was held in the Andromedome shortly after the conclusion of the Marble League. 

Team Galactic opened the reunion with a fourth-place finish in Block Pushing, with the gold medal going to the Stargazers, a team hailing from SuperJackJack’s Marble Games, a youth competition near Bermenghank. Astron and Pulsar were selected to run for the team in the Black Hole Funnel, of which they placed in third and earned their first medal of the tournament. The gold medal would go to Orbit and Sulfur from the Purple Rockets, a team hailing from the nearby Sheetersburg, and that competed in The Emperor’s Marble Sports Games. Team Galactic would turn on the afterburners in the next event though, as Cosmo won gold in the Sand Rally. Starry followed this up with a masterful ten-second victory at the Starlit Speedway Grand Prix, and Team Galactic would end up winning the Stardust Classic Reunion.

“Wowie! We won something! We’re on the podium!” Quasar exclaimed jubilantly during the awards ceremony.

A few months after the reunion, Team Galactic received an invitation for Marbula One Season 2. Coach Black Hole wasted no time in selecting the dynamic duo from Season 1, Starry and Pulsar, to compete in the second season.

“We’re ready to rock and roll!” Pulsar said before the Minty Mania GP Qualifiers. “Well, okay, maybe just roll.” Sadly, Team Galactic did not get off to the start they envisioned in Season 2. Following Minty Mania and the O’raceway, they were one of four scoreless teams. 

In a press conference after the race, Black Hole remarked, “I feel like I didn’t train them hard enough. We had been flying high after the Marble League, and I should have brought them down to Marblearth sooner.” 

After another poor qualifying at the Honeydome, Starry was visibly upset before the race and had to be calmed down by the Honeydome referees. Black Hole pulled Starry aside for a pep talk. The results were visible. Starry rose into the top half early on and slowly chipped away at the lead, ultimately finishing in second, propelling the team to eighth in the standings.

“No words can express how happy I am! What an exhilarating race and thank you, everyone!” Starry exclaimed with tears of joy following the race. 

Pulsar managed to qualify well again at the Aquamaring, and early in the race held the lead. They could not hold onto it, however, and fell to seventh. After another poor qualifying at Tumult Turnpike, Starry managed to claw up into the contenders for the lead once again. With one turn to go, it appeared that Starry would finish the race in fourth. But, as is tradition with the team, with an excellent divebomb to the inside, Mallard stole fourth, with Starry placing fifth plus the fastest lap, in the fifth race of the season, propelling Starry to fifth in the individual championship. 

“Well, it was….a little bit infuriating,” Starry said. “But we’ve got to make the best of what we can, and I’ll take another top-five finish.” 

Pulsar rounded out the first half with another thirteenth, meaning Team Galactic sat in seventh at the end of the halfway point. 

Skyfall, another Team Galactic fan, reflected on the team’s standing following the Arctic Circuit: “I generally tend to be a pretty optimistic fan and consider anything above eighth to be a good race. Think about it, we’re supposed to be competing against sixteen to twenty of the best marble teams in the world, so placing eighth or better consistently among them is pretty spectacular.” 

During the break, Black Hole received an invite to the Marble League Winter Special. “I was a bit hesitant to accept,” they remarked. “I feel like we need to focus on training for Marbula One. Something’s got to click. We’re doing well, but there isn’t a lot of chemistry between the duo. On the other hand, there are bound to be team events, which could serve as the teambuilding we need to strengthen the chemistry between Starry and Pulsar.” 

After accepting the invite, they traveled to the Himarblelaya Mountains in a private jet that belonged to Atlas, the Chief Architect of the Andromedome. There was a rumor going around that Black Hole was considering Atlas as a manager for the team. That rumor was proven true before the Ice Dash when Black Hole announced to the team that Atlas would be joining them.

“I’m thrilled that Atlas is joining us!” Quasar said after the reveal. “I feel like Coach has been so stressed with coaching us, managing the finances, organizing events, et cetera. I’m glad Atlas will be on board to help us out!” To start off the Winter Special, Starry got things rolling with an eighth-place finish in the Ice Dash. Astron followed this up by placing fourth in the Snowboard Cross, one of the best finishes of their career.

“I’m shocked! Flabbergasted! That was insane!” Astron said after the event. “Knocking out both the O’rangers and Savage Speeders in the same heat is no easy task!” they exclaimed with a laugh. “I’m thankful for all my teammates, coach, and our new manager, Atlas, for helping me get here.” Sadly, Cosmo could not keep the momentum going, and placed dead last in Speed Skating. The team could not rebound in Bobsled, an event that they had placed second in last time, only managed to muster a ninth-place finish here.

“We need something to click in Ice Hockey,” Black Hole said, just before the event. “Quasar was a great goalie last time; now we need some solid offense from the main team. I’m hoping we can wake up here, and end the season with a bang.” Team Galactic managed to knock out their newfound rivals, Team Momo, in the round of 16, and narrowly slipped by the Hazers in the quarter-finals. They would face the Savage Speeders in the semi-finals. After taking it to double-overtime, the team could not muster the final push and lost to the Speeders. 

“We were exhausted,” Cosmo said after the event. “We went through a double-overtime, and then lined right back up in the gate to face the O’rangers, of all teams.” The team finished with another fourth-place finish and ended the season in tenth place.

“It’s not the statement I wanted to make as a manager, but we’re looking for a rebound in Marbula One,” Atlas commented after the closing ceremony.

After flying back to Galakonur, the team went straight back to training. With Atlas taking over managerial duties, Black Hole had more time on their agenda to train. The team took a small road trip to the Startop Mountain range.

There was a small village perched atop the Peak of the Cosmos, in which Black Hole trained the team hard. There was a nightly campfire, and Black Hole remarked, “It really helped our teamwork and bonding. The team has been very stressed after an array of events, I figured this was the best way to train them while also getting some enjoyment out of them.”

After returning to Galaknour, the team took a long flight to Lewara, with Pulsar ready to go for the Raceforest GP. Despite another poor qualifying, Pulsar managed to gain a tremendous number of spots, and at one point held the fastest lap. Pulsar finished the race in fourth, just missing the podium. 

“I felt like I had let my team down in the first half of the season. Starry always had my back and I was struggling to do the same for them. I aim to change that from here on out,” Pulsar said after the Grand Prix.

Starry followed this up with an eleventh place finish at the Momotorway GP, which sent Team Galactic into the spot of infamy; the ethereal fifth place. 

At Palette Park, Pulsar managed to qualify third for the third time this season. But, as had been the case in the other two races Pulsar qualified third, they fell down and got mired in the middle of the pack, and finished twelfth. 

After the race, Pulsar remarked: “I don’t really want to talk about it. It was rough, but I’m glad I still scored.”

The next stop on the Marbula One agenda was Misty Mountain, where Starry looked to set the ship sailing in the right direction. After another poor qualifying, Starry managed to climb to fifth in the race before the red flag. Starry would hold on to fourth in the end and fall just short of the podium. Team Galactic rose to eighth in the standings following the race.

“What a climb,” Starry said after the race. “I know a lot of people were skeptical of my qualifying run, and that run-in with Clementin, but I hope my performance in the race can speak louder than that.”

Starry would be chosen to run again at the next race; the Savage Speedway, the track that Starry had won the year before. And Starry would deliver once again, with another medal at the track, this time a silver.

“It was thrilling!” Starry said crying tears of joy after the race. “Words cannot express how thankful I am to my family; my team, for supporting me and helping me get on the podium once again. Reach for the stars!”

Team Galactic rose to sixth in the overall standings after the penultimate race and set their eyes on an overall podium. The rest was up to Pulsar, who was chosen to represent the team at the finale; Midnight Bay.

“I think it was the right call,” Atlas said after the event. “Pulsar may not have experience in a finale yet, but I see no better time to give them a shot! The championship was already decided, so we wouldn’t lose anything from it anyway!”

Atlas’s statement would be proven false at Midnight Bay. Team Galactic lost their streak of never placing last in a Marbula One race, as Pulsar finished well off the pace of the rest of the field. Pulsar left the track in a hurry afterward and didn’t comment on the race. 

“We just need to give them some time, that’s all.” Black Hole said after the race. “Pulsar’s a great athlete. Deep down I think they still know that. Every marble has off days, this was one of theirs. Plus, we’ve seen that this track doesn’t play to our strengths before, so hopefully, they’ll come around soon.”

Team Galactic would finish the season out in seventh place, with Starry just missing the racer’s podium in fourth. The team had two silver medals and one fastest lap.

“I just don’t think I’m suited for Marbula One.” Pulsar said. “Yeah, sure I had an off day, as Coach said. But I seem to be having a lot of those…”

The team returned to Galakonur a little bit downhearted but were determined to bounce back in the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers.

“We’ve always been a strong team in the qualifiers.” Pulsar said. “We’re yet to qualify below fifth place in any Marble League Qualifier yet. Let’s keep that streak alive.”

“Yeah!” Quasar said, echoing their sibling’s sentiments. “I feel like the odds are in our favor here. We’re in our preferred group, with only three other teams that qualified in Marble League 2020, along with the events favoring our strong suits!” 

The team spent a lot of days and nights training in and out of the Andromedome, which, after the conclusion of the Stardust Classic Reunion, was remodeled once again to house a proposed Marbula One track forTeam Galactic: the Starlit Speedway.

“We entered this competition as four friends looking for a chance to prove our worth. We’re going to do that, and win the Marble League this year.” Cosmo said.

The team would select Cosmo to compete in the Marble League Practice Race, a Sand Rally taking place in Felynia. Cosmo crossed the line in a respectable sixteenth. When the Marble League 2021 Practice Race concluded, it was announced that the Solar Flares, a former Stardust Classic team, would be joining the Marble League.

“This will be amazing!” Starry said after the announcement. “We go waaaaay back with the Solar Flares, in fact, they’re quite close friends with us. I’m so happy that they’re going to be competing with us in the 2021 qualifiers!”

“Yeah, we used to go on astronomy trips together at night after training.” Cosmo reminisced. “Ah, I miss those days. It’ll be great having the team back with us!”

Royal Stardust made a comment on the Solar Flares, too. “It’s great to see more of the Classic teams getting time in the spotlight. I’m sure the Solar Flares will do well in the Marble League.”

The team would book their hotel room to be directly across from the Solar Flares, and they spent a lot of nights training for the Marble League together. 

“It’s great to have more teammates to train with!” Pulsar said. “We’ll be rooting for the Flares in this Marble League, and hopefully we can take those top two spots!”

In RetRollSpective, Team Galactic has come a long way since its inception in the 2016 Marble League. Starry’s three gold medals have made them one of the most celebrated marble athletes, as has the team’s everlasting consistency, proving that Galactic has astronomical potential. Best of luck to Team Galactic in the future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: The Emperor, Stynth
• Additional Writing: Novawolf
• Editors: Efmo, Novawolf, Orbitball, Ramen Powder, Smacg13
• Artists: Jack Ironhide, Laurent Rollon, Lego, Phantasm
• Graphic Designers: The Emperor, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Laurent Rollon, Novawolf, Phantasm, Tim Ritz
• Photographers: Baron, The Emperor, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Phoenix, SuperJackJack
• Release: 17/09/2021

Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have appeared in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on the Rojo Rollers, a team that originated in Marble League 2016. Read on to find out how this team has rolled through the competition!

Numerun is known as the “newest old” city in the world. Its territory has been settled for over a millennium, but the city itself was rediscovered by explorers from across the ocean nearly five hundred years ago. The explorers shared goods from their side of the world with Numerun, attracting a competitive economy, the likes of which Numerun had never seen before. As a result, the city grew immensely in the next few hundred years, becoming one of the most diverse, economical, and intellectual cities in the world.

Through all of this, the ancient city center of Numerun has been preserved from modern urban development, making the city one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world. One of the most notable landmarks is Colina Umerun, an artificially created hill designed specifically for marble racing. The hill was designed centuries ago for recreation, and, through frequent renovation, is still in use today. In fact, going down Colina Umerun is what inspired each of the Rojo Rollers—and Red Number 3—to enter the realm of marble sports.

The Rojo Rollers hail from the outskirts of Numerun and previously worked in the modern city center, which encircles Numerun Antigua. The five team members were all familiar with each other from the workplace, where they were mathematicians at competing universities. They formally met each other during the city’s Milenaria, which was celebrated in Numerun Antigua. The universities decided to go together in a historic academic event, grouping together departments of various schools on the trip. After getting to know each other throughout the day and making several bad math puns, the five marbles went down the Colina, one after the other, and regrouped at the bottom.

“I’ve always been a big fan of racing,” said Rojo Uno. “It may not look like it considering how academic I am, but it has always inspired me. But I never actually wanted to be a part of it until that day.”

Rojo Uno expected the other four marbles to show the same amazement, but they simply shook it off and moved on with the day. It was not until a few months later, when they met for dinner, that they all began to realize that they felt the same way.

“It was a lot. An eye-opening, and I wasn’t ready to accept it then,” admitted Rojo Dos. “But I could tell that day had changed my life forever.”

While working on this RetRollSpective, we got to visit Numerun to interview the athletes and tour the city. It could be considered both an old and modern wonder of the world—that’s how impressive Numerun is. In touring the Rollers’ new stadium, we discovered a beautiful tribute: a gap in the grandstands of the stadium that allows fans to get a direct view of Colina Umerun. The gap pays a breathtaking homage to the origins of the Rojo Rollers and the origins of marble racing. We hope that fans around the world will be able to experience this treasure for themselves.

Rojo Uno, Rojo Dos, Rojo Tres, and Rojo Cuatro stepped away from their jobs the following semester and began to seek training. Luckily for them, Numerun was the host city for the Surculo, the most popular marble sports tournament south of Marblopolis. They quickly found a trainer, and in 2012, entered the Surculo.

Rojo Cinco remained at their job to complete a second doctorate in sports medicine. During their time at university, they came across Red Number 3, who was completing their master’s degree in sports medicine. The two became friendly in class upon finding out that they were both interested in the Surculo.

The Rojo Rollers, named for the red adobe homes of Numerun Antigua, started poorly in the Surculo, placing in the bottom half of their first tournament. The Rollers were not deterred, however, and in 2013, they improved, finishing exactly in the middle of the competition. In 2014, their margin of improvement was significant, and they earned a wild card spot in the elite league. Even though the stakes rose in 2015, the Rojo Rollers, steadfast to their passion and skill, improved still and finished as runners-up to the Jawbreakers after the tournament.

With the announcement of the 2016 Marble League, Greg Woods extended an invite to the leading teams of many regional marble sports tournaments. This included the top three teams of the 2015 Surculo, which were the Jawbreakers, the Rojo Rollers, and the Quicksilvers. The Jawbreakers and Rojo Rollers accepted while the Quicksilvers declined in favor of one more shot at the Surculo Championship. The Jungle Jumpers, who placed fourth, also declined the invite, so the Chocolatiers, who placed fifth, were the third team accepted.

The Rojo Rollers entered the 2016 Marble League as strong as they possibly could have, earning the first gold medal in the tournament’s history in the Balancing event. Their points record, at 347 centimeters, lasted for three years until the Crazy Cat’s Eyes broke it in the 2019 Marble League. Although 2019 was the first year that the event returned to competition, it still stands as an impressive feat as few teams have managed to score above 347 cm in Balancing.

“We needed that validation, right out of the gate. We got it, and I couldn’t have been more grateful,” Rojo Tres remarked. “It stuck with us for the rest of the season, and proved to us that we always have the opportunity to be the best—but only if we work for it.”

The team earned one point during the Relay Race due to the malfunction on the top track. The team placed dead last during Collision but made up for it in the Sand Rally when Rojo Uno earned a silver medal. The team was near the top of the standings for the second time. Rojo Dos placed fourth in the next event, the Long Jump, to earn four points. However, the next event, the Water Race, proved problematic for the team, and their performance was disqualified due to Rojo Cuatro allegedly blocking another team. The Rojo Rollers lost three points as a result of this.

“That was a false accusation, plain and simple,” Rojo Cuatro claimed. “I was already stuck, off the flow of water, and Snowy from the Snowballs hit me. I couldn’t get rolling again, but I didn’t want to block anyone else from rolling again. Being disqualified was not fair to me and my team.”

The team appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. This only made the team work harder, though, and their effort immediately paid off in the next event, High Jump, where Rojo Dos earned a gold medal. For the second time in seven events, the Rojo Rollers were at the top of the standings.

Unfortunately, the Rojo Rollers only earned one point during the last five events of the season, that point being from placing eighth in Quartet Diving. They finished the 2016 Marble League in sixth place with 30 points. Had the team not been disqualified, the Rojo Rollers would have finished in fifth place, two points above the O’rangers.

The Rojo Rollers’ return in the 2017 Marble League Qualifiers proved to be a continuation of the downturn they experienced in the latter half of the previous season. Although the Rojo Rollers placed ninth in the Relay Race, they went scoreless during the rest of the Qualifiers and finished in dead last with only four points. Out of the four original teams who failed to appear in a second consecutive season, the Rojo Rollers were arguably the most surprising on the list. The team had been in the top four of the standings at the end of every 2016 event except for the last two. In the 2017 Qualifiers, their performance was almost the exact opposite.

While the Rojo Rollers experienced their first extended offseason, they entered into an official partnership with rising Sand Marble Rally star Red Number 3, who hailed from Bifornya, a village outside of Numerun. As a part of the partnership, Rojo Cinco finally joined the Rojo Rollers as their “rojo-serve” and the team traveled to Doornse Gat to support Red Number 3 in the 2017 Sand Marble Rally. The team became very close with them, even including Red’s likeness in their logo, and began training together.

“I always wanted to secure my second degree, and I’m happy that I got it, but joining the Rojo Rollers is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel at home,” remarked Rojo Cinco.

With “cinco” members on the team now, the Rollers competed in Group A of the 2018 Marble League Qualifiers, winning the first event, Curling, and taking second in the final event, Halfpipe. Unfortunately, the Rojo Rollers failed to qualify for the second year in a row with subpar finishes in the other two events, fifth place in their group with just 19 points to their name. The Balls of Chaos, who missed the 2017 Marble League along with the Rollers, qualified at the top of their group. The Snowballs were already hosting the 2018 Marble League, making the Rojo Rollers and the Kobalts the first two teams to miss two Marble Leagues in a row.

Suffice it to say that the team was disappointed, but they decided to remain together, as did the Kobalts. The team initially planned to return to their universities for a semester to teach but realized that the paparazzi would be hounding them. A few months in, they hosted a joint conference about their experience in the Marble League and broke records for the largest attendance in academic conference history. It was clear that, despite not being in the Marble League for so long, the Rojo Rollers still had a dedicated fanbase, especially in their home city. Additionally, with the help of Red Number 3, the team began construction of a training facility and marble sports stadium, located in the city of Numerun. This stadium was submitted as an option to host the 2019 Marble League but was not chosen.

The Rollers’ performance in two of the three offseason events was moderate at best. Rojo Tres placed sixteenth in the 100 Meter Water Race, just behind Yellup from Mellow Yellow. In the Amazing Maze Marble Race, the team placed first in their heat, but last in their semifinal. However, in the Marble League 2018 Consolation Race, Rojo Uno would have an excellent run, and after leaping into the finish line, won the race. The team showed promise, but doubt was cast on their ability to follow through in the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers. This doubt became their reality on 26 January 2019, when the Rojo Rollers failed to qualify for the Marble League for the third season in a row. The team did not place above tenth for any of the events and was never in the top twelve overall.

As described by the article “The Teams You’ll Miss in the 2019 Marble League”, it was revealed that the Rojo Rollers had a difficult offseason. As the 2018 Sand Marble Rally approached, the new logo for the Rollers was released to the public, displaying a roller skate instead of the traditional red number 3 ball. This disturbed Red Number 3, who thought that the Marble League team was ending its long-standing relationship with them. The Rojo Rollers privately met with Red Number 3, assuring them otherwise, and preventing the dissent from reaching the public. 

Needless to say, the confirmation in December that Red Number 3 had a hole on their bottom ballooned the scale of the controversy and created chaos. While training for the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers, the Rojo Rollers had to act quickly and cut their partnership before the team’s reputation was tarnished concerning Red Number 3. According to Rojo Tres: 

“We had no idea they weren’t a marble. The drama over this has been astounding, and while we tried to ignore it, we didn’t want to disappoint our fans if they got the impression that we supported fraud. We roll fair and square, except not square, because then we’d be cubes, and cubes aren’t marbles.” 

This decision deeply hurt the team, particularly after the Qualifiers. Although the article stated that the Rojo Rollers were willing to move away from the controversy, Jelle’s confirmation that Red Number 3 would be returning to the 2019 Marble Rally eased the tension surrounding the situation.

“I understand why [the Rojo Rollers] did what they did. I understand why my fans were so upset,” Red Number 3 sighed. “I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and I feel the most disappointed in myself. I’m happy that I’m still being allowed to compete in this next season. I only hope the Rollers will forgive me for the way I acted.”

Since then, no official statement has been released regarding any future collaborations between the Marble Rally athlete and the team, but we hope that relations between the two parties have improved.

At this point, the Rojo Rollers were prepared to experience a third extended offseason, and maybe longer. As their new coach, Rojo Cero put it:

“I got onto the management, took one look at the team, and knew that their morale was gone. The Rojo Rollers have always been strong in team events, but it’s their individual events where—save for Uno and Dos—the athletes can’t follow through. It takes a toll on them, especially when you don’t get into the main tournament for three seasons in a row. The Showdown saved them. They counted on that tournament to give them the exposure and experience they needed to redefine themselves and return to Qualifiers, ready to make it.”

The Rojo Rollers rejoiced at the announcement of the Showdown and immediately got to training. As the Showdown approached, the team was a favorite to not only advance to 2020 Qualifiers but to win the Showdown overall.

Rojo Cuatro represented the team in the first event, the Sand Rally, and placed seventh. The next event, Collision, saw the team dominate over its group and pull tight leads over its competitors in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. All five of the Rojo Rollers were on the podium for their first gold medal since 2016.

The team rose to second place in the standings, further proving their place in the top twelve. In the third event, Funnel Spinning, the Rollers put in Rojo Dos. Although Cuatro had more experience in funnel spinning, they had already participated in the Sand Rally. The team’s gamble with Dos paid off immensely, with their performance earning a bronze medal, a second overall spot, just one point behind the Snowballs, and, most importantly, a guaranteed spot in the 2020 Marble League Qualifiers.

The final event, Balancing, was the event that the Rojo Rollers had the best experience in—but they did not show it. The team, perhaps to conserve its energy, placed dead last. The three teams who got on the podium were Team Primary, the Snowballs, and the Hornets, the latter of whom moved ahead of the Rollers to take second place after the Showdown. The Rojo Rollers remained on the podium by two points, with Team Primary a point and a medal below them in fourth. The Kobalts finished the Showdown in tenth place and remained in the Showdown in 2020, guaranteeing that at least one of the two teams would not get a second season of the Marble League.

While training for the 2020 Marble League Qualifiers, Rojo Cero received an official letter from the JMRC, inviting the Rojo Rollers to compete in the first season of Marbula One. The Rojo Rollers accepted the invitation, submitting Rojo Uno, “Primo Racer”, and Rojo Dos, “Segundo to None”, to compete.

A Roller’s Life For Me

an addendum by The Emperor

The Rojo Rollers’ strength was certainly not individual events, save for some good performances from Rojo Uno and Dos. However, even they would falter in Marbula One. The team opened the season with two scoreless races before Rojo Uno scored four points at the Momotorway GP. Rojo Dos earned their first point of the season at the Hivedrive, with a tenth-place finish.

“Our inexperience in competing with the big name teams again is showing.” Rojo Cero remarked. “We haven’t been in the spotlight in so long and I don’t think that the team is used to it.”

The Rojo Rollers would score points in all of the final four races, but never placed higher than fifth place. They would finish the season in thirteenth overall, with 32 points and no medals. Neither Rojo was particularly stunning in the Racer’s Championship, either, with Rojo Dos placing twenty-first, and Rojo Uno placing twenty-third in the individual standings.

“I feel like we could have certainly done better, yes.” Rojo Dos remarked. “But for being our first major competition in over three years…I’ll take it.”

Nonetheless, the team was hopeful to return to the Marble League and finally prove themselves after a three-year drought. They entered the 2020 Qualifiers with some confidence, seeing that Balancing was one of the events, an event they held the record in until 2019. This confidence was shattered after the team placed dead last in the event, and would go on to finish the Qualifiers in nineteenth overall, with just 24 points.

“For a team composed of former mathematics professors, it’s become very hard to count on the Rojo Rollers in the Marble League.” Former JMRC member Stynth remarked on the team. 

The Rollers debuted in sixth in the first season of the Marble League, and they even earned the first gold medal in the history of the tournament…in an event that they can no longer compete in.

“We’ve lost motivation…a lot of motivation.” Rojo Tres said as the team left the Andromedome in shame. “We’ll be in the Showdown again, and even then, I don’t have much faith in us.”

The Rojo Rollers’ Showdown results wouldn’t be spectacular, either, as they placed third in the Relay, fourth in the Halfpipe, eleventh in Black Hole Funnel, and tenth in the Sand Moguls.

“As mentioned before, the team has struggled terribly in individual events.” Rojo Cero said in a press conference. “We’ll be focusing on that during our offseason training, as it highlights the struggles that our team continues to face now year after year.”

“There is no doubt that we feel down about not qualifying for the fourth time in a row,” Rojo Uno stated. “But we are not going to let it get in the way of us appearing in next year’s Qualifiers. We have to keep trying.”

“They are growing stronger and stronger as a team. I can see that,” Rojo Macho, the team’s new manager, observed. “I hope that’s enough to get them to advance.”

Following the offseason, the Rojo Rollers were not re-invited to attend the second season of Marbula One. Thus, over the extended break, the team returned to the Surculo for extra practice, where they participated in the league for the first time since they had started competing in the Marble League.

“We’re excited to be back!” Rojo Tres exclaimed. “A lot of the teams that used to compete while we were there are still in the league, so it will be a bit like a reunion for us!”

The Rojo Rollers did not get off to a good start in the Surculo, with Rojo Cinco placing dead last in the Sprint. However, as was a tradition with the team, save for the poor results in individual events from Rojo Tres, Rojo Cuatro, and Rojo Cinco, the team medaled in all five of the other events and would go on to win the Surculo League by three points over Team Toadstool.

“The Rojo Rollers’ return to the league motivated us to do more!” Cap, the Captain of Team Toadstool, remarked. Evergreen from the Evergreen Warriors echoed Cap’s sentiments, stating: “It gave us that extra morale boost to try our very best. And we got our third overall podium in the league because of it!”

Following their win in the Surculo, the Rojo Rollers continued to train hard for the 2021 Marble League Qualifiers. 

“We just barely won the Surculo,” Rojo Cinco said. “It motivated us to train even harder for the Marble League, especially in individual events. Rojo Tres, Rojo Cuatro, and I still have a lot to work on…”

Following a training session with Red Number 3, who was coming off of a mediocre performance of seventh in the Marble Rally following their surgery, the team participated in the Marble League Practice Race in Felynia. Rojo Uno participated in the race, and managed a very impressive second place of the twenty-eight competing teams!

In RetRollSpective, the Rojo Rollers are not the paradigm of consistency. They are a team that has demonstrated a lot of promise but has been unable to follow through, even in their first season of the Marble League. If the team can take the scale of improvement that they made in the Surculo and apply it to their performance in Jelle’s Marble Runs competitions, then the odds of the Rojo Rollers returning to their 2016 form is high. Best of luck to the Rojo Rollers in the future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: The Emperor, Stynth
• Editors: Fouc, Smacg13
• Artists: Jack Ironhide, Phantasm
• Graphic Designers: ExcitingPresentation, Laurent Rollon, Tim Ritz
• Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, The Emperor
• Release: 27/08/2021

Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have appeared in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re focusing on the Green Ducks, runners-up of Marble League 2019 and the hosts of Marble League 2022. Read on to see how this team has attacked the competition!

The Green Ducks hail from a group of islands, the Brace Isles, and have been following marble sports since their youth. The team’s future captain, Mallard, won tickets to see the Tour de Vellis in 2014 and was lucky enough to witness the Speeders win the tournament for the first time.

“It was insane. The Speeders had so many fans rooting for them, and I bet that deep down, even they were flattered. I wanted to feel that excitement again.”

Mallard returned to Bermenghank, their hometown, already thinking about booking tickets to other marble sports events, but tragedy struck. Mallard returned home to find one of their parents in the infirmarblery, and two days later, they were gone. Mallard’s other parent had not been working at the time, and they used most of the family’s savings to pay for a funeral. They struggled to find a job for years.

Mallard found a job at a farm to help the family, which included their remaining parent and their sibling, Billy. Billy also began working at the farm and befriended Quacky, Ducky, and Goose, three of the farmhands. They worked there while completing their primary education and continued afterward.

“We became pretty close in such a short amount of time,” recalled Ducky. “Mallard and Billy became a part of our family, so much so that we felt and grew through their loss with them.”

“I remember when Mallard first heard about the Marble League,” said Goose. “It was one of the few things that got them excited. Not that taking care of ducks didn’t get them excited.”

“It didn’t get me excited,” Mallard replied. “But the Marble League did.”

“We all bonded over the Marble League in a time where we all needed something to enjoy. Working on the farm wasn’t easy, either,” Quacky said.

“It inspired us to become a closer team and family than we ever imagined,” Billy added. “And we all began to wonder what life could be like outside the farm.”

As the 2017 Marble League approached, Mallard secretly entered into a bid to get tickets for the tournament. Mallard surprised their friends with the tickets, and the five traveled to Knikkegen that summer. They can be seen in some of the events in the Jungle Jumpers fan section.

“We didn’t anticipate that the Jumpers would do as poorly as they did,” Mallard said, chuckling. “We liked their uniforms, though. The green reminded us of the grass from the farm.”

“To be fair, they did get a few medals,” Ducky retorted. “I still have a soft spot for them. And I can’t blame them for oversleeping, especially now that I know how exhausting being a marble athlete is.”

The five friends returned home at the end of the season and had all pretty much agreed on what they wanted to do: train to become marble sports athletes. They traveled into the city and consulted with Bombay, Mallard’s parent. It didn’t take long to get them to quit their miserable job in tourism and get them to coach the five under the team name of the Green Ducks.

The Brace Isles were not well known for marble sports at the time, but the Ducks were able to compete in minor leagues. They became known as the most prominent team in the region within time and soon began receiving sponsorships, which meant that the members of the team were finally becoming financially stable. The Green Ducks moved to Draklin sometime in 2018 and became the host team of Joshdon Stadium.

In late 2018, rumors began to spread that Team Plasma was retiring from the Marble League due to not training enough and that there might be an opening in the 2019 Qualifiers. The Ducks had applied to the waiting list long ago and only hoped that their request had been processed by then, and had a chance to be approved.

On 1 January 2019, the Green Ducks were accepted into the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers and appeared in the tournament later that month. Despite being so new to the tournament, fans were already flocking to the stands for the Ducks. Their numbers would only grow.

Mallard placed fifth in the first event, Funnel Spinning, setting the stage for what would be the team’s knock-out performance in Block Pushing. The team earned an unprecedented 117.0 centimeters in their initial heat, placing first in the event and rising to the top of the standings, just ahead of the Limers. The Ducks placed fifth again in the Relay Race and secured their qualifying spot after only the third event. They conserved their energy for the final event, the Underwater Race, by putting Ducky in to compete. Ducky placed dead last, earning just one point, and the Green Ducks qualified for Marble League 2019 in an astounding fourth place.

The team amassed more fans in the preseason, many of them Limers fans, for the Limers had failed to qualify. Fans were no doubt impressed by the Ducks’ showing in Qualifiers, but many wondered if their momentum would last. After all, they were a rookie team.

Quacky was quick to attack any doubts about the team in the first event of the 2019 Marble League, the Underwater Race. It was an event that Ducky had bombed in during Qualifiers, but one that Quacky masterfully excelled in. Ducky was bested only by the Savage Speeders, a team that, in its prime, was the most successful rookie team in the Marble League. Ducky’s silver medal in the event was hard-earned and set the bar high for the rest of the Green Ducks’ season.

After Mallard placed seventh in Funnel Spinning, the team placed fourth three times in a row, missing the podium but earning double-digits in points each time. This momentum built up to the Relay Run, in which all four of the team’s main members competed. In the final leg of the event, Billy lurched forward, getting just ahead of Tangerin from the O’rangers to win the team’s first gold medal of the season. The Green Ducks rose to the top of the standings, proving their spot in the Marble League once and for all.

However, with ten events of the season remaining, a challenge began to mount from just beneath the Ducks’ lead. This challenge came from the Raspberry Racers, a team that seemed to have a history with lime-green teams, as well as a thirst to win the 2019 Marble League. During the next four events, from Block Pushing to the Hubelino Maze, the Green Ducks earned an average of seven points per event. Although this was enough to keep the team in the top three, Quacky’s fourteenth-place finish during the Summer Biathlon stinted the team against the Raspberry Racers—who rose to the top of the standings after that event and remained there for the next four events.

“I think we were past the honeymoon phase,” Goose acknowledged. “We were still flying pretty high, but we weren’t doing as good as we could have. The Raspberry Racers were medaling so much…our consistent fourth-place finishes early on did us wonders, but they weren’t going to get us in the lead.”

“The one thing we did have, in contrast to the Racers, was gold medals,” Bombay stated. “They had so many close calls where they could have earned gold, but they settled elsewhere on the podium. We went all-in when we could.”

The Green Ducks refocused during the Dirt Race, where Ducky boosted ahead of Swifty from the Savage Speeders in the final leg of the race to earn a silver medal. Rozzy from the Raspberry Racers passed ahead of Swifty at the finish line, earning a bronze medal by five milliseconds and keeping watch on the Ducks. It would not be the last time that they and the Racers would share the podium, but the next event, Rafting, was exactly what the Ducks needed to strike back. The team set a Marble League record with 33.74 seconds and earned its second gold medal of the season, reclaiming the top of the standings with an eleven-point lead over their new rivals.

Their “raspberry rivals” rose to the contest in the thirteenth event, the Elimination Race, and ultimately proved Bombay wrong. Rezzy advanced to the final round of the race in a close save by Diego of the Indigo Stars, who accidentally nudged the “framboise flash” ahead of them and was eliminated in the penultimate race. The final race pit Rezzy and Quacky against Red Eye from the Crazy Cat’s Eyes, but all eyes were on the former two competitors. As Red Eye got stuck further up the course, the race became a nail-biter until the very end, when Quacky stopped suddenly on the final grey hexagon and Rezzy crossed the finish line.

The Green Ducks remained in first, but their podium finishes were over. The Raspberry Racers rose to the top of the standings with an important fourth-place finish in Surfing, and the Green Ducks fell to second with a twelfth-place finish. The Raspberry Racers made sure to remain at least one step ahead of the team to the end of the season, finishing fifth in Collision to the Ducks’ sixth, and earning one more bronze medal in the Sand Rally to Mallard’s tenth place finish, mired back in the pack. The Ducks were sitting to the right of the Racers in the closing ceremony, with 204 points, five medals, and a second-place finish overall in the 2019 Marble League.

“Fans are saying that we’re the most successful rookie team in the history of the tournament, and we didn’t even win,” Mallard paused, gazing at the sky. “I guess that’s something.”

“It’s more than something,” I assured them. “Your team never left the top four spots in the standings. You medaled five times. You’re one of two teams to get over two hundred points in the Marble League.”

“We didn’t win.”

The Green Ducks, already qualified for the next Marble League, were training for their next appearance in the Friendly Round when Bombay received an official letter from the JMRC. The letter extended an invitation for the team to compete in the first season of Marbula One, an honor, especially for a rookie team. The Ducks accepted the invitation and chose to be represented by Mallard and Billy during the tournament.

Soaring High

an addendum by Roilan

They took that mindset back to their home. The dejection of falling just short only motivated them more. Despite being headquartered in Draklin, the team enjoyed spending the offseason on the farm in Bermenghank. I was lucky enough to visit the team. It was a lovely farm; not incredibly expansive, but there was a lot of land for crops and ducks. A small farmhouse stood not 100 yards off the road next to a group of what looked like pear trees. I just made out a small, eight-turn dirt track with three picnic tables on the far side of the farm near the tree line.

“The media’s great and all, but it’s nice to get away from the spotlight a bit,” Ducky explained, “This is where it all started for us; we still like to help out around the farm. It’s humbling to remember how we got our break.” 

I soon learned that the dirt track was one that the team had mowed out in the early stages of training. Despite it no longer being optimal for their high level of performance, they used it for low-intensity work in the early offseason. As with most training sessions on the farm, local fans, often young marbles, would come by and watch them train. It was fascinating to see how the five athletes interacted with their fans. They would talk between sets, often by name, and towards the end, gave a lesson to the younger fans. 

Not long after I left town, the team went to their main training facility in Draklin to gear up for the inaugural Marbula One season. Those practices are far more isolated. Limited, if any media and no fans are allowed to watch. While they do not nearly match the Hazers in secrecy, Bombay keeps most of the training routines out of the spotlight. 

In early February, Mallard, Billy, and Bombay headed to the first Grand Prix, the Savage Speedway. Mallard started the season with tenth place in qualifying but improved that position to eighth in the race. The next week at the O’raceway, Billy made their debut. After qualifying in fifth, Billy was itching to get in the race with a favorable position. Despite falling to seventh early, they navigated the sand beautifully and were in second place at the end of lap one. Two laps later, Billy took a great line in the sand and got right behind Smoggy. Using an inside move off turn seven, Billy took the lead. They dominated the rest of the race, stretching the lead to as large as 3.54 seconds. From there, the lead hovered at around two seconds, and Billy claimed the first medal for their team with a gold.

Mallard looked to back it up at the Momotorway. The starts continued to be a strength for the Green Ducks as Mallard went from their eighth spot on the grid to second position by the end of lap one. They managed to cut the tangent through turns four, five, and six, taking the lead in lap two, but lost it back to Clutter later in the lap. Coming off the belt in lap three, Mallard got it back before Clutter regained the top spot with a move along the pit straight. The battle continued for the next three laps before Mallard struggled to get onto the belt entering lap seven and fell to seventh place. They fought back over the final six laps including a pass on the final lap but finished just off the podium in fourth.

The worst finish of the season for the team came in the next race with a thirteenth at the Hivedrive for Billy. After a pair of ninth-place finishes, including one at their home race at Greenstone, and an eleventh, the Green Ducks found themselves seventh in the overall standings with one race left. Mallard qualified in a season-high fourth at Midnight Bay but had found themselves in seventh by the end of the opening lap. They quickly worked their way back up the order, getting up to fifth by the end of lap three and third by the end of lap four. In lap eleven, Mallard found a gap on the inside of turn ten to get by Prim for P2 and ended the season with a silver medal. The Green Ducks ended in sixth overall, but both members took home a medal and finished in the top fifteen individually; Mallard in eighth and Billy in fourteenth. 

In the time between Marbula One and the Marble League, the Green Ducks made headlines in marble sports by starting a youth league in the local area: the Golden Egg.

“Marble Sports have never been that big of a deal around here,” Mallard stated, “Most marble athletes from around here go to the Accellaise/Vellis region for competition. We want to boost the involvement all across the area.” 

The grand opening of the Golden Egg was held in Bermenghank and was split into two divisions: a youth division for marbles just getting into Marble Sports, and the more prominent junior division for more competitive and experienced young athletes. The latter was a tour around the Isles used to prepare the top youth teams for a future in competitive Marble Sports. The preliminary season consisted of twelve teams. Among the first teams that announced their participation were the Shadow Squires, the youth team partnered with Marble Rally competitor Black Knight, from Onyxburgh, and the Green Geese, a team from Bermenghank who modeled after the Green Ducks and briefly competed in Marble Sports Games before leaving to come back home. Long-time fans of smaller marble tournaments were avidly waiting for the remaining teams that would compete.

After the initial announcement, more teams were revealed. These included the Mountain Climbers, an Inharness based team from the Quadrilla Marble League, and the Berry Blasters, a team from Bushnor who initially wanted to compete in the Fruit Circuit, but instead went to The Bourne Network. Following this were the Skeletal Strikers, from Bonebridge, who were one of many teams that went to Accellaise to compete before finding a spot in Angus’ Epic Extravaganza, and of course, the Green Ducks’ youth team: the Silver Swans. The rest of the competition was filled by teams from around the Isles who were getting their break in marble sports.

After the opening stop in Bermenghank, the Green Ducks left the tournament in the hands of Honk, an old friend of Bombay’s, and went back to Draklin to train for the Marble League. The team auto-qualified for the 2020 tournament due to their second-place finish in 2019, but got a spot in the Friendly Round to prepare. The team was one of the last to arrive at the Andromedome, but still had ample time to practice in the actual stadium in between Qualifiers and the Friendly Round. Even with the practice, the Friendly Round was not kind to the Green Ducks. They didn’t place first in any event. A second place, two third places, and a fourth place in the four events landed the Ducks at the bottom of the table. While typically not the best gauge of how teams will do in the main league, the Green Ducks continued this mediocrity into the 2020 Marble League. 

The Ducks finished the Marble League without a medal in their second season. They came close a couple of times. Ducky almost made it onto the podium in Funnel Endurance, but after losing a collision battle with Kinnowin of the O’rangers, they settled for fourth. Billy and Quacky replicated that fourth later in the Black Hole Funnel. Despite winning the second run of their heat, they were still almost five seconds behind the Crazy Cat’s Eyes for the final podium spot. Many near-misses killed their momentum, and thus, the Green Ducks could never find any consistently good results. They peaked at seventh after Funnel Endurance, and bottomed out at dead last after the Sand Mogul Race, but spent most of the Marble League in twelfth where they finished. While their outing was significantly better than the other medal-less team, it was disappointing after a remarkable debut season.

Stynth was able to get some insight on their performance in the offseason:

Mallard finally spoke up. “It’s just…I’ve been trying to process it over the past few weeks, and it’s been difficult for us. The whole season was a blur and when it came down to it, we ultimately weren’t prepared for the competition. We thought for certain that we were going to win.”

“It’s not like we didn’t train,” added Ducky. “I was pretty close on Funnel Endurance. I think we underestimated our competition. We underestimated the Speeders.”

~”Offseason Moments – ML2020 Part 1″, by Stynth

As some of the fiercest competitors in Marble Sports, the disappointment ate up the team. They experienced it more jarringly than anyone else in the city. However, that didn’t stop them from making appearances all over the region. Throughout their careers, they gained a reputation for their outreach in the Draklin area. From organizing a clean-up of the Larkey National Park along the river to visiting young marbles in the infirmarblery, the team often spent off days helping out the community. The Peartree Fund, named after Peartree Farm, the farm the team worked on, was set up by Bombay and the assistance of the other members to raise money for families in the process of looking for work.

“Not everyone is as fortunate as we were,” Mallard commented, “We know what it’s like to struggle and try to help mitigate some of that hardship when we can.” 

Their invitation to Marbula One Season 2 was no surprise, and Mallard and Billy once again represented the team. Even without submitting a host bid for Greenstone, the Ducks were excited to go back into competition. Their season got off to a hot start at Minty Mania when Mallard qualified third and finished third to score a medal in the opening race. The opening half of the season for the Green Ducks was headlined by their incredible qualifying performances. In each of the first six races, they made it to Q3 and started in the top four. Despite often struggling to hold that top-four position, they were consistently gathering large amounts of points. The only blemish in the first half came at the Honeydome when Mallard fell from third on the grid to fourteenth at the finish.

Right before the winter break, the Green Ducks recorded their best qualifying position in a historic qualifying stretch. Billy had given their team an extra point by recording the team’s first pole position. They conceded the lead at turn seven on the first lap and went all the way down to fifth on lap five. After making their way through the field, Billy regained their lead through turn seven on lap nine; they passed Ruzzy on the same turn where they left space for an overtake nine laps earlier. Billy would hold on to the lead the rest of the race beating Clementin by almost two and a half seconds. At the halfway point, each member had a medal and the team sat second overall. In addition to that, Billy sat third and Mallard sat tenth in the individual standings. 

There was barely enough time to settle home in the break before the invitation to the Marble League Winter Special came and the team, this time with all five members, traveled east again. After a quick stop at Isle Hyu to raise awareness for the Indigo Stars’ conservation project, they arrived for their first taste of winter competition. They fared better in the special than they did in the 2020 Marble League, but were still medal-less in the five events. Quacky and Mallard both got to the semifinals in the Ice Dash and Snowboard Cross respectively but were stopped there and ended in seventh. Ducky, alongside gold medalist Thunder, got fourth in Speed Skating. Once again, they missed the podium, this time by five hundredths of a second. 

The team also just missed the podium in Bobsled by ending three hundredths behind the Oceanics and settling for fourth. They weren’t as close in Ice Hockey as they lost to the eventual silver medalist Savage Speeders in the round of sixteen. Overall, they finished in eighth in the special, an improvement from the main event the past summer, but still not as good as they had demonstrated in the past.

“The talent is there,” Bombay attested, “we know we can get back to where we were two years ago, we just need to get over the hump and back onto the podium in the Marble League.”

After their break turned back into a competition, Mallard, Billy, and Bombay headed off to Lewara to resume the Marbula One season. For the first time, the Green Ducks did not make it to Q3 and started on the third row instead. Billy couldn’t keep up with the pace shown by Red Eye or Speedy and rather disappointingly fell out of the points. Compared to their first half, the second half was a disaster and the Raceforest GP was a snapshot of how the rest of the season would go. The low point of the season was when Billy failed to qualify at Palette Park marking the only missed race for the team in the season. Misty Mountain was a bright spot in the second half as Mallard managed to stay calm and focused through all the chaos of DNFs and the restart and gathered a silver medal. The team’s third podium finish moved them back up to second overall, but with finishes of tenth and sixth at Savage Speedway and Midnight Bay respectively, they ended third in the championship. In addition, both finished in the top ten of the individual standings with Mallard in seventh and Billy in tenth.

Following a successful Marbula One season, the Ducks went back home just in time for the start of the second season of the Golden Egg. Before leaving for the trip around the Isles, the Green Ducks announced that Honk would be brought on into a management role in the organization. They would still be the commissioner of the Golden Egg and would be headquartered in Draklin and handle management roles from there. Unlike most team managers, Honk did not travel with the team to Felynia for the practice race where Mallard placed nineteenth in a foretaste of the upcoming Marble League.

In RetRollSpective, the Green Ducks have had one of the most successful seasons in Marble League history. The fact that they were rookies only accents their achievement. With a prequalification for the 2020 Marble League, the Ducks struggled during their sophomore season, but coming off a stellar Marbula One season, there is hope that they will come back stronger this year. Best of luck to the Green Ducks in the near future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: Roilan Estates, Stynth
• Editors: Ramen Powder, Smacg13
• Artist: Jack Ironhide
• Graphic Designers: Tim Ritz, Novawolf
• Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
• Release: 24/08/2021

Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have appeared in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on the Kobalts, a team that originated in Marble League 2016 and has won multiple Showdowns. Read on to find out how this team has outsmarted the competition!

The Kobalts, true to their name, love the color blue, but there are three things they love as much as the color blue: science, roll-playing games, and marble sports. The four original members of the team came from humble backgrounds and attended university together in Zuro, a city renowned for the sciences, and majored in chemistry. Azure, Cerulean, Royal, and Dodger met while working in a lab exercise with cobalt(II) oxide and alumina, which, when heated, produces the cobalt blue pigment. The four were in their graduating year in 2014 when they first heard about the growing popularity of marble sports—but not on television or the radio.

In the little free time they had as doctorate students, the four friends played Marbles & Monoliths, a popular roll-playing game, online on a chat room called the Marblebase. They were in the thick of a campaign when they saw the #sports channel light up with a notification. A user named Sapphire had shared a featurette about the Knikkegen Marble League, and the friends watched the video together from their apartment. They were hooked.

“We were in our final semester, and not once in our five years of study had we ever considered switching away from our career paths in science. Dodger had even switched into chemistry from a history major in their first year,” Azure described. “But this was something else. It felt like a calling.”

After finishing their semester in Spring 2014 and graduating, Azure contacted Sapphire and learned that they were an athletic trainer with connections to Knikkegen. Sapphire agreed to train Azure, Cerulean, Royal, and Dodger for competition.

“They are some of the smartest marbles I have ever met,” Sapphire stated with certainty. “They weren’t athletic when we first started, but they understood anatomy and how to get into form. They have always had that kind of heart and I really admire that.” The Kobalts’ application for the 2015 Knikkegen Marble League was not accepted, but the team kept training. In 2016, they submitted an application for the rebranded Marble League and were one of the few teams to be accepted, along with the Oceanics and Team Galactic.

The team debuted well in Balancing with a score of 268 centimeters, placing sixth, but did not fare as well in the next three events. The Kobalts earned a point in the Relay Race due to a track defect in the top lane, but they otherwise went scoreless until the fifth event, the Long Jump, where Royal placed fifth with a 92.3 centimeter-long leap. In the next event, the Water Race, Azure won their heat and advanced to the finals, earning their first silver medal for the Kobalts. They remain as the only member of the Kobalts to earn an individual Marble League medal.

At the midpoint of the 2016 Marble League, the Kobalts were exactly in the middle of the standings, at eighth place overall. The team’s second half of the season was admittedly less eventful than their first half: besides their silver medal in Precision Slalom, the Kobalts went scoreless in the other five events. They finished ninth overall, a welcome start to their Marble League career with room for improvement.

With two months to go before the 2017 Marble League Qualifiers, the Kobalts were experiencing difficulties training. Royal and Dodger were trying to balance their time with their jobs as chemists, and they were weary from long nights in the lab and early mornings training.

“It wasn’t working out, and it became clear to us that we needed to choose one or the other,” Royal revealed. “While professional sports gave me a sense of fulfillment, I needed the money more than anything.”

“It was fun while it lasted, but my career was taking me to a different place, away from sports,” explained Dodger. “I knew that if I didn’t take that opportunity, I’d regret it.”

The two left, leaving Azure and Cerulean as an incomplete team. They were understandably disappointed, but determined to compete in the Qualifiers: “We were fortunate to have a lot of connections on the Marblebase,” Cerulean assured. “Azure, Sapphire, and I reached out to our Marbles & Monoliths party, and both Meepo and Gnome were ecstatic to join the team. They’re siblings from Elsham, which is where they hold lots of M&M conventions.”

Meepo and Gnome quickly headed to Zuro to begin training. Meepo debuted in the 2017 Marble League Qualifiers in the Sand Race, after the team competed in the Relay Race. They placed fourteenth, dropping the team to the bottom of the standings with two events to go. Although the Kobalts were able to regroup in Block Pushing and place second, Cerulean placed twelfth in Funnel Endurance and earned just one point. The team finished with 13 points, tied with the Snowballs on points, and failed to qualify for the 2017 Marble League.

The Kobalts, while disappointed, understood that the late change in the team’s roster affected their chances of qualifying. During their first offseason, the Kobalts attended the 2017 Marble League and began to train together as a team. They were even able to recruit Royal back to the team as their reserve. By the 2018 Marble League Qualifiers, the team felt prepared to redeem themselves, and they were sorted into Group B.

“I felt comfortable returning after taking a year off,” disclosed Royal. “And being able to return as their reserve allowed me to better balance my priorities.”

Group B turned out to be the tightest group for qualification, with all four teams qualifying within one point of the threshold. The Kobalts came the closest of the teams that did not qualify, placing third in the 5 Meter Ice Dash and second in the Halfpipe after placing sixth in the first two events. Unfortunately, they would miss the 2018 Marble League as well.

After attending the 2018 Marble League, the Kobalts participated in the three offseason events held for Marble League teams. Meepo finished fifth in the Consolation Race, their best performance yet, but Azure was not able to finish the 100 Meter Water Race. The team did not make it past their initial heat in the Amazing Maze Marble Race and their hosting bid was denied, leaving the fate of the Kobalts hanging in the balance.

This question was answered in the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers, when the Kobalts again failed to qualify for the third time in a row. Meepo and Azure competed again for individual events, and both did not impress, with Meepo placing eighteenth in Funnel Endurance and Azure placing twelfth in the Underwater Race. The team did well in Block Pushing, placing ninth, but the Kobalts stinted their chances of qualifying with a fourteenth place finish in the Relay Race.

The Kobalts declined to comment on their unsuccessful demonstration in the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers. An article on the Marble Sports Blog detailed the team’s struggles: “while the team replaced half of its members in 2017 with Meepo and Gnome, there seems to be no other reason why Kobalts have not been successful in Qualifiers. The team has had seasons to sync up and train together, but it can never seem to synthesize quite right.”

It was reported that the Kobalts had no plans to attend the 2019 Marble League and were instead planning to go to a Marbles & Monoliths convention in Elsham when they learned of the new relegation system involving the Marble League Showdown. The friends had already booked the tickets, and they went to the convention anyway, managing to stay unnoticed by Marble League fans. Upon their return, they began training in Zuro.

“What does it matter if those reports are true or not?” said Gnome, almost defensively. “We’ve been trying to qualify for three years. We’ve dedicated ourselves to watching the professionals and training in the offseason. We deserve a little break.”

Azure and Meepo competed in both individual events of the 2019 Marble League Showdown for the third tournament in a row, with Azure finishing fifth in the Sand Rally and Meepo placing eighth in Funnel Endurance. Although the Kobalts did well in individual events, they were not as successful in team events: placing second-to-last in Collision, an event that they had not officially competed in since the 2016 Marble League. The Kobalts’ fifth-place score of 345 centimeters in Balancing was not enough to dig the team out of tenth place overall, and sealed the team’s fate: they would not advance to the 2020 Marble League Qualifiers.

“They have heart, and right now, their hearts are broken,” Sapphire lamented. “Both they and the Rojo Rollers haven’t appeared in the Marble League since the beginning, but the Rollers, along with being invited to Marbula One, did well in the Showdown.”

“The ironic thing about that article on the Blog is that we do well in team events,” Meepo asserted. “Or at least, better than I do in individual events.”

“Stop it, Meepo,” Azure refuted. “You made a breakthrough in Funnel Endurance last year. You’ll get there soon. We will all get there soon.”

“Hey, at least you’ve competed in an individual event,” Gnome sighed.

“In all honesty, we don’t have the best funding,” admitted Sapphire during a tour of the Cobalt Circuit, the team’s stadium. “Any other team would have retired during the 2018 offseason, but not us.”

“Sports has pushed us out of our comfort zones to create something greater than ourselves,” stated Azure, with pride. “No matter what anyone says, I never want to let that go.”

In Their Element

an addendum by The Emperor

By failing to qualify for the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers, the Kobalts were stuck in the Showdown for the second season in a row, but rather than feeling down on themselves, they were determined to demonstrate their desire to be in the Marble League. After a false start in the gates, the team started out with a fifth-place finish in the Relay Race, which set the team up solidly. Following another midpack finish (sixth) at the Halfpipe, the Kobalts sat in sixth overall, eyeing the podium.

“All we need is a podium here, and we’re set,” Gnome said as Cerulean and Royal lined up in the gate for the Black Hole Funnel; a signature event that the Kobalts had trained on for hours back at their home stadium. And that training would pay off. The Kobalts would blow away the rest of the field with 100.85 seconds; the only team to break into the 100s besides the Savage Speeders.

“I just…wow!” Royal exclaimed on the podium. “I can’t even believe this. This is crazy!!!” Cerulean echoed their teammates’ sentiments as the Kobalts vaulted to second in the standings. The team had secured a spot in the 2021 Qualifiers.

Even with a spot clinched, the Kobalts wanted to give the Sand Moguls their best shot. Azure managed to secure the wild card spot, and advance to the finals. And then, the Captain of the Kobalts won their first-ever gold. 

“It felt amazing. We knew we were practically locked in after Event 3, but we wanted to go out with a bang. And we did just that. Crossing the finish line was the best feeling I’ve had in my career, and that is saying something!”

The Kobalts had just won the Marble League 2020 Showdown.

In celebration of their victory, the team partnered with the Minty Maniacs, fresh off of a Marble League podium themselves, to sell baked goods to raise money for charity. Cerulean led the initiative, stating that it was “wonderful to be giving back to those in need.” The teams managed to raise enough funds to feed over one thousand inhabitants of Zuro and Herbotamia.

“It felt special to be helping those who needed it,” Azure said. 

The team would go on to host another event similar to this after Stynth visited the city on their world tour. Stynth remarked: “Although I had written about Zuro in my RetRollSpective on the Kobalts, I had never had the opportunity to visit the city and was not sure what to expect. I emerged from the train station and my jaw dropped in awe, with glass towers reaching toward the sky decorated with greenery as monorails emerged from the train station, spoking outwards to different neighborhoods. It was a sight I would absolutely dub one of the “wonders of the modern world”.

Following their Showdown victory, everything changed for the team. A few months later, the Kobalts were invited to Marbula One Season 2. The team heavily considered their decision to accept but ultimately chose to do so, sending Azure, “Brilliant Blue” and Cerulean, “Natural 27” to compete in the tournament.

“Woo! I know we’ll blow the competition away!” Gnome said, ecstatic that the Kobalts would be competing in a major tournament for the first time since 2016. Meepo echoed their sibling’s sentiments: “We’re on a high streak right now, let’s keep it that way!”

The Kobalts applied to host a race for Marbula One, however their track (Electron Expressway) wasn’t built in time for the season, and the spot was given to the Jungle Jumpers instead.

“We’re disappointed that our track wasn’t ready in time,” Dodger said in an official response. “But there’s always next year…”

The Kobalts would set a low first impression in Marbula One by DNQ’ing at Minty Mania, the first Grand Prix of the season. Cerulean bounced back with a solid sixth-place finish at the O’raceway. Azure would again fail to qualify at the Honeydome, even after having a great start to their lap.

“It’s heartbreaking,” they said, watching the race unfold from the sidelines. “I really want to get out there someday. I know that I have it in me.”

Cerulean continued to impress, however, with a bronze at the Aquamaring, the fourth Grand Prix of the season.

“I’m thrilled to have earned my first ever Marbula One podium,” Cerulean said triumphantly, standing on the third step of the podium. “I have more in the tank for the rest of the season, and I feel like we can make a charge for the lead soon.”

Azure would fail to qualify for the third straight time at Tumult Turnpike, this time setting the worst qualifying time of all. Cerulean followed this up with a ninth and fastest lap at the Arctic Circuit, carrying the Kobalts to tenth in the team standings, and seventh in the individuals at the midseason break.

The Kobalts were invited to the Marble League Winter Special, but manager Dodger had already set up an exclusive Marbles & Monoliths Conference in Zuro, and thus the team declined the invite. 

“The Marbles & Monolith Community are a huge part of our fanbase, and we wanted to do a quick shout-out and thank you to them for supporting us!” Sapphire said. During the conference, several fans got to have one-on-one interviews with the team. 

King, a Kobalts fan, had a one-on-one with Cerulean. “I’ve liked the team since 2016, but I think I really began to become a ‘fan’ of the team in the 2019 Showdown,” King said. “My favorite moment as a fan of the team would probably be the Black Hole Funnel, in the 2020 Showdown. It felt really great to finally see them win gold for the first time, and I feel like it kickstarted their redemption now.”

“I agree with King, here,” Cerulean remarked. “The Black Hole Funnel is the turning point in our history. It started to right the ship for us, and it’s what we’ve been riding to get here!”

Ramen, another fan, had their one-on-one with the captain; Azure. “Well, they started off [the 2020 Showdown] in the Relay with a false start, and I thought ‘Oh, it’s just going to be typical Kobalts.’”

Azure echoed their fans’ sentiments. “Yeah, I was pretty worried myself.” 

“But the Kobalts turned it around. They had finally done it. They had won gold. This pretty much guaranteed advancement to the Qualifiers. But they weren’t done yet. The captain of the Kobalts seized this opportunity to fly out of the starting gate with a very fast time in the finals, getting the gold for the Kobalts.”

“I was ecstatic.” Ramen said. “The Kobalts had toppled the Jungle Jumpers and won the Showdown.”

The final interview of the conference was with Phantasm, who had their one-on-one with Meepo. “I got into the Marble League in 2018—long after the Kobalts began their tragic streak of missing out from the competition. I only discovered the Kobalts after going back and watching re-recordings of Marble League 2016, and I was instantly enchanted.” Phantasm said. “The Kobalts haven’t made it easy to have a lot of favorite memories! There’s a lot more heartbreak than joy, but that makes the victories all the sweeter!” Meepo shed a tear of joy at that remark. 

Following these passionate interviews with their fans, the Kobalts returned to Marbula One with eyes set forwards. Azure managed to qualify for the first time at the Raceforest and managed a respectable seventh-place finish. Cerulean followed this up with a twelfth place finish at the Momotorway. At Palette Park, Azure once again managed to qualify well and finished the race with their best result of the season; sixth. 

“I’m happy Azure is finally proving themselves here,” Cerulean said after the race. “There were so many people doubting our captain; I’m glad they’re proving them wrong.”

Cerulean would follow up this momentum with a fantastic start at the Misty Mountain Grand Prix, only to have it undone with a red flag following an incident precipitated by Bumble barreling into Cerulean on turn six, and coming to a stop.

“That incident really shook me,” Cerulean said after the race. “I’m glad Bumble is okay, that was scary.” Cerulean would finish the race in fifth place.

“We’re going up right now. We think we have a chance at a strong late-season run. We have been doing great lately, we just need to carry the momentum into the last two races, and into the (2021) Qualifiers.” Azure said, hoping that the team could continue to consistently score. Sadly, however, Azure would earn their fourth DNQ at the Savage Speedway in the next race, knocking the Kobalts out of podium contention. Cerulean, however, would bounce back at Midnight Bay, securing pole for the first time all season for the Kobalts. 

“It was a special moment, that’s for sure,” Cerulean remarked as the race was about to start. “I’ll be sure to keep this lead though, just like Speedy did here last season.” Cerulean would hold on to the lead for a little while, but ultimately fell to second, and would finish the race there.

“It was one of my favorite moments of my career. Sure, it wasn’t gold in the Showdown… but I was standing on a podium with two of the best marble athletes of all time, and I’m never going to forget that moment.” Cerulean said, blushing with pride, on the Midnight Bay podium.

The Kobalts finished Marbula One Season 2 in eighth place; the highest finish for a rookie team besides the champions, the Crazy Cat’s Eyes. Cerulean clinched sixth in the individual championship, establishing themselves as an all-around great Marbula One racer. 

The team returned to Zuro for the offseason, where they were greeted by a very excited Dodger. They dropped the news on the team that they would be hosting a fundraiser to help support local residents in need. “I’m so glad to be giving back to the community. We’ve struggled with funds before, and we know what it’s like to need help. It’s not great sometimes. And I want to make sure all the citizens of Zuro have the help that they need.”

The team participated in raising funds daily and used this as a form of teamwork training for the Marble League. They were spotted rolling out moveable balance beams as their primary form of transportation around the city, and often used hoverboards for individual travel to practice balancing on their own.

“In addition to physical balance, I feel like it’s kind of like a metaphor for our lives; trying to balance sports with the community,” Sapphire said. “I’m so proud of the team for everything they’ve done this year; both for themselves and the community. I hope this translates into the 2021 Marble League.”

The team would compete in one more event before the 2021 Qualifiers; the Sand Rally Practice Race. Azure would finish 20th here.

“I feel like it wasn’t my best effort, but it wasn’t my worst either. I want to save it all up for the Qualifiers though, where it counts,” Azure said.

“We’ve had our struggles in prior seasons,” Meepo, the new reserve, said. “But with this new team dynamic we’ve developed, and our recent success, we’re coming for the title in Marble League 2021. I can feel it.”

In RetRollSpective, the Kobalts are a team that has not seen success in years, but they keep on. Why do they do so? It seems that they prefer to keep themselves reserved from the public eye, but if you get to know them, they are some of the most intelligent and passionate marbles. They have become stronger through competing professionally, and we hope that the team is training this offseason to become as strong in individual events as they can be in team events. Best of luck to the Kobalts in the future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: The Emperor, Stynth
• Editors: Efmo, Jacob723, Ramen Powder, Smacg13
• Artists: Jack Ironhide, Laurent Rollon, Phantasm
• Graphic Designers: Tim Ritz, The Emperor
• Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
• Release: 20/08/2021

Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have appeared in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to discuss the history of the Limers, an inaugural team of the Marble League. Read on to find out how this team has soured the competition!

The Limers hail from the coast, and got their name from two sources—the vast reserves of limestone that are nestled slightly inland of the Gulf of Tartufo, and their favorite dessert, cassata, which is traditionally served with limes on top. The Limers began racing in Sotsevsa, a city across the sea from the gulf known for its philosophical teachings in ancient times, as well as its Syndesmarble, an ancient marble racing tournament that is still celebrated as a yearly tradition in the city. One year, the four performed so well that they caught the attention of a marble sports aficionado named Greg Woods. Woods approached the team soon afterward and invited the team to join their Fruit Circuit troupe. They accepted. 

The Limers were one of the first teams in the Fruit Circuit when it began touring in 2004, alongside now-inactive teams like the Strawberry Strudels, Boysenberry Ballers, and Grape Nuts. They ended up outlasting these teams because of their persistence. According to Sublime:

“Much of the fanbase has asked us why we’re still going. Why do we keep trying every time that we do badly in an event or a season? It’s because we love this craft. We love marble sports because it gives us a purpose to be active and to make a difference in the world. We want to keep doing that for as long as we possibly can, not just for our fans, but for ourselves.”

The O’rangers, Raspberry Racers, and Mellow Yellow eventually joined the Fruit Circuit, and all three teams proved to be challenging for the Limers to shake. When the 2016 Marble League transfer spots from the Fruit Circuit were announced, the stakes rose even higher, particularly against the Raspberry Racers. Upon joining the circuit, the Racers quickly became rivals with the Limers due to their geographic proximity to each other and their contrasting team colors. The rivalry between the two teams is one of the most competitive in marble sports history, let alone in Marble League history.

“The Limers are the reason that we did not qualify for the 2016 Marble League,” Razzy remarked, almost snidely. “During the third-to-last race, Slimelime rolled into me right out of the starting gate, killed my momentum, and blocked me from moving to the front. They finished in second. I finished in sixth. If I had the momentum I needed to burst forward, I would’ve at least been on the podium for that race. But they got all the glory…and I got nothing.”

When asked, Slimelime disregarded the claim: “I maybe felt a slight nudge out of the starting gate, but I didn’t intend to block anyone out of the gate. One, that’s poor sportsmanship. Two, I wouldn’t have put it past Razzy to nudge me back, and either way, Razzy would not admit to it.”

Ultimately, the Limers came out on top, winning the Fruit Circuit in its final year and qualifying for the 2016 Marble League along with Mellow Yellow and the O’rangers. The team entered the tournament with honor, knowing that the Marble League was the modern-day realization of the ancient Syndesmarble tournament.

Sublime, Lemonlime, Jellime, and Slimelime entered the 2016 Marble League with high hopes that were soon deflated by subpar performances. The Limers went scoreless in the first half of the tournament except for the second event, the Relay Race, in which they earned two points in sixth place. The Limers’ second half proved more fruitful for the team, save for two more scoreless events, and produced a bronze medal in Quartet Diving, but the team finished the season in a disappointing fifteenth place. The Limers would have tied with the Pinkies for dead last, had the Pinkies not been disqualified in the final event.

“We were admittedly surprised by the circumstances. We expected the Marble League to reward performance with solely medals. The points system threw us off not necessarily because it was there, but because of how punishing it was. If you earned any place lower than eighth, tough luck. If you got seventh, you could’ve gotten eighth and gotten the same amount of points.” Lemonlime shrugged. “It made no sense, and we were determined to change it. We appealed to Jelle, and it was done.”

The offseason brought other substantial changes for the Limers. They began a rigorous training session in the cliffs of limestone near Tartufo and began building a training center just outside the city. Jellime left the team early in the offseason to become an advisor for the Syndesmarble and was replaced swiftly by Goolime. Jellime declined to comment on whether their leave was influenced directly by the Limers’ poor performance in the 2016 Marble League.

The Limers entered the 2017 Marble League Qualifiers with a lot to prove in a short amount of time. The team scored nothing during the Relay Race but picked up enough points in the remaining three events to qualify for the main tournament in twelfth place, four points ahead of the Kobalts and Snowballs, who both failed to qualify. The Limers became one of twelve teams that would be appearing in their second straight Marble League.

In the 2016 Marble League, the Limers went scoreless in half of the events. In the 2017 Marble League, the Limers went scoreless in zero of the events. The Limers placed in the bottom half during the first two events before earning a silver medal in the infamous Fidget Spinner Collision event. The team finished in the top half over the next four events, earning a bronze medal in the Relay Run, demonstrating a significant improvement from Qualifiers. The Limers peaked in the standings at second place after the Relay Run and remained strong at third place after Block Pushing.

Unfortunately, the Limers did not perform as strongly in the latter half of the season as they had in 2016. The Limers placed in the bottom half of the standings for every event except for Block Pushing and Steeplechase, notably around ninth to fourteenth place. As such, the Limers fell from the top half of the standings with grace and finished the season in tenth place, just one place above its starting position in the 2017 Marble League. Despite their slowdown, the Limers were still happy with their season. Goolime noted,

“The growth that I have seen this team endure ever since I joined is nothing short of astounding. I’m so proud of how far they’ve come since 2016, and I’m lucky to be a part of it this year. There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”

After a rigorous offseason of training, the Limers were invited to the 2018 Marble League Draw in the Arctic Circle and happily chose to attend. When they arrived, they were greeted with a surprise, for better or for worse: the Raspberry Racers were also in attendance. Greg Woods introduced them in the video, stating:

“They have a long history going back with the Limers, the two of them, so ideally they would like to be in separate groups, although some might say they want to be in the same just to knock each other out before they even make it…”

The two teams ended up in the same qualifying group.

“We were only separated by the Shining Swarm, but it felt like we were eons apart,” Sublime mused. “We reached out to the team after they failed to qualify in 2016, but they had already disbanded and wanted nothing to do with marble sports. We never thought we would see them again in a tournament, let alone in the Marble League.”

The return of the Raspberry Racers threw the Limers for a loop not only in concept but more importantly in the tournament. The Limers got two second-place finishes and one third-place finish, but they could only edge ahead of the Racers in Curling and the Halfpipe. At the end of Qualifiers, the Raspberry Racers qualified for the 2018 Marble League in second with 22 points. The Limers qualified in fourth with 21 points.

The Fruit Circuit was back.

“I was new to the team that year, and even I could tell that the Raspberry Racers had never performed like this before,” Limelime, a former Tour de Vellis competitor, admitted. “They had a drive like no other team to win the Marble League. And they didn’t in 2018, but we all knew that they eventually would.”

“2018 felt off from the beginning of Qualifiers. Even if we didn’t show it then, we felt it,” Slimelime added. “We were showing it by the second event.”

The 2018 Marble League resembled much of the Limers’ inaugural season. The team scored no points in a quarter of the events and placed in the top half in only a third of the events. The Limers started the season in tenth place, but by the end of the Snow Rally, the seventh event, the team had been in last place in the standings at the end of all but three events.

“It became really clear to us that we were not going to win the championship, regardless of whether it was mathematically possible or not. We did not have the gusto in us to do it. But we also didn’t want to take last place. I certainly didn’t,” remarked Sublime. They glanced at their gold medal, which was enclosed in a small display case at the Limers’ training facility. “We had taken last in the Snow Rally, and the team voted for me to do the Snowboard Cross. They said that they had a funny feeling that I would do well. And somehow—somehow, they were right.”

In a surprise turnaround for the Limers, Sublime eased their way down the course during the heat, finishing barely a second behind the Raspberry Racers, and dominated during the final, finishing two seconds before Anarchy from the Balls of Chaos narrowly edged ahead of Bolto from the Thunderbolts. The result was the Limers’ first-ever gold medal, and a pathway out of the basement of the standings for the rest of the 2018 Marble League.

The team performed in the middle of the pack throughout the remainder of the season, save for a last-place finish in Ice Hockey, which surprised fans due to the Limers’ silver medal in Collision the year before. The Limers finished the tournament in fourteenth place with the same amount of points as Mellow Yellow but a medal to edge above their fellow Fruit Circuit competition. However, the Limers were more focused on the performance of another Fruit Circuit team.

“The Raspberry Racers beat us in every single event except for the 5-Meter Ice Dash and the Snowboard Cross,” Coach Keylime said without hesitation. “When I joined the team as coach in the offseason, I made sure that my team knew that. The fans wanted a rivalry, but we gave the other team the championship.”

In the 2018 offseason, the Limers placed second in the 100 Meter Water Race, above the Raspberry Racers in thirteenth, and ascended to the finals of the Amazing Maze Marble Race against the Raspberry Racers, O’rangers, and Savage Speeders. The team’s drive ground to a halt, and the Limers placed fourth with only twenty-five points scored. The Raspberry Racers won the tournament with forty-three points scored and became known as a strong contender for the 2019 Marble League. The Oceanics were revealed as the hosts for the season, denying the Limers’ bid to host.

“Things were not looking good. My team’s morale had fallen over the past year. That hosting bid would have done a lot to raise their spirits, and it also would have done a lot for the Marble League as a whole. We were in contact with Jellime and the whole Syndesmarble advisory board to make it something really special.” Coach Keylime sighed. “Things were getting much better for the team in the last few weeks leading up to Qualifiers. Their form was starting to look much like their 2017 selves. I was hopeful.”

The Limers remained in a safe position in the standings for much of Qualifiers, boosted by a second-place finish in Block Pushing. However, the Underwater Race changed their fate for the worse. Slimelime finished in nineteenth and earned only one point, bringing the Limers’ total number of points to thirty-five. The Chocolatiers finished in fourth and earned fifteen points, bolstering them three points above the Limers and earning the final qualifying spot for the 2019 Marble League. Had Slimelime been four milliseconds faster, the Limers would have qualified.

Granted, the Limers’ presence in Qualifiers was soured when their fans started throwing debris into the Relay Race arena, disrupting the flow of the event and allegedly blocking Team Primary from finishing the race (an allegation that the JMRC denied). Needless to say, the fans’ actions in the stands were reckless, and Goolime agreed: 

“We do not condone actions like that—in fact, these types of things distract us too. We’re marble athletes and we’re focused on that—we’re trying to do the best we can. That’s all.” 

The Limers did finish in third in that heat, and twelfth place overall in that event. Had their fans not disrupted the flow, the result could have changed. Instead, the team missed out on its first Marble League ever. Here’s what Lemonlime had to say about that: 

“I know what the fans are thinking. ‘Wow, Limers finally didn’t qualify. They’ve always been in the bottom half of the standings. They didn’t deserve to be in the Marble League.’ And they have every right to feel that way. Our response is this, plain and simple: we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to compete in these tournaments. We’ve loved to do what we do, no matter how well we’ve placed. It’s been far from perfect, but it doesn’t stop here. Right now, it hurts. But trust me when I say that we’re going to do everything we can to keep pushing. Thank you to the fans. We’ll see you soon.”

The Limers were ready to take a hiatus from training, but they were pleasantly surprised to hear the news that there would be a Marble League Showdown that would give the unqualified teams of the 2019 Marble League a chance to compete and prove their worth for the 2020 Marble League Qualifiers. The Limers immediately regrouped and began training again, rebuilding their team mentally, emotionally, and physically. The more they spent time together, the more optimistic they felt. As the weather got warmer, they returned to the Cliffs of Tartufo to train there without any disruption from the happenings of the world.

They were finishing their dinner with cassata when the sixteenth and final event of the 2019 Marble League was on television and watched silently as the Raspberry Racers secured the championship. The event was followed by a lengthy news recap, which covered the Racers’ season in-depth and also discussed Showdown predictions. After some time, in which the cassata stayed on the table, uneaten, the waiter rolled over to the table and asked the Limers,

“Are you finished with your dessert yet? Or would you like some raspberry syrup to sweeten the dish?”

Needless to say, the Limers entered the 2019 Marble League Showdown under immense pressure from the marblebase—fans that were flocking back from the Green Ducks, fans that had virtually no hope in the Limers, and fans in the middle of it all, who hoped that the Limers would at least get by.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but not one of the thousands of words that compose this RetRollSpective could equate to the emotions that Limers fans felt when the Limers finished last during the 2019 Marble League Showdown. One of the fans that were banned from the Seven Seas Stadium expressed their disconcert,

“I guess I understand how the Oceanics fans feel, but at least they got to be a part of the Marble League championship. We won’t even get a chance to be in the championship until 2021, and that’s if we can score in more than half of the events, and score well. I have a right to be angry.”

The Limers declined to comment on the Showdown and its aftermath, although sources claimed that the Limers were beyond heartbroken. The public did not hear from the Limers until they were revealed as the sixteenth and final team invited to the inaugural season of Marbula One. Coach Keylime submitted Sublime and Limelime to compete in the tournament, stating:

“Sublime is our strongest individual athlete. It’s clear from their gold in the Snowboard Cross, but they’re also there in terms of being our team captain. Sublime’s leadership will take us far. And as for Limelime? Well, they finished last in the Funnel Race…so we expect them to be fast in Marbula One.”

Out of the Limelight

an addendum by Orbitball and Vector

Just a short while later, Sublime proved to be the team’s weakest individual athlete. With their highest finish being a tenth place at Momotorway, Sublime earned only one point and didn’t even finish the race at the Short Circuit, letting down both the team and their fans who had high expectations for the athlete. 

“I just didn’t have enough energy to finish the race. Being so far behind the pack, I figured I would finish in sixteenth either way, so stopping was just what my body told me to do.” Sublime told the press shortly after the race. Sublime’s Short Circuit downfall began after they dropped eleven spots from fifth to sixteenth after taking the pit lane on the first lap.

Limelime, the reserve of the team, carried the Limers in terms of points, earning 24 points through two fourth places (at the O’raceway and Greenstone). However, with not even a single medal earned, it didn’t seem to be enough.

Finishing in fifteenth, only beating out the Hornets, the team was understandably disappointed. The Limers once again had to worry about potential retirement, and how their performances would impact their future as a team.

“Our fans are getting us through this. We’ve been just as let down as they’ve been, but they’ve held up hope for us, and have pushed us to keep competing,” Sublime stated in an interview following the Midnight Bay Grand Prix, “We feel like we’re past our prime.”

During their extended offseason, Stynth visited the Limers as they prepared for the 2020 Marble League Showdown. The team’s new manager, Blimey, welcomed Stynth upon their arrival in Cassata.

            “The team hired me just after the Marbula One season, so I’m new here,” Blimey said. “And hoo boy, do we have a lot to work on.”

            “Blimey has been such a big help. We were running out of funding after appearing in Marbula One, but they’ve helped us get back up,” Coach Keylime tells Stynth, “I just don’t know if we’re too late.”

“No, we did not compete at a milk tournament. We spent our offseason training for the Showdown. And no, that training didn’t involve milk making, heh.” Goolime said at a fan Q&A, joined by Superball.

After a poor start to the Showdown, placing eighth in the Relay Run, it seemed the Limers would sink further and further down. They continued to sink in the standings, even holding the distinction of last place after the Black Hole Funnel. However, after the final event, Lemonlime managed to bring the team back up to eleventh place in the standings through a sixth-place finish in the Sand Mogul Race. It would be a valiant effort, but the team would manage to finish in an unsatisfactory position once again.

“Going into the event, I was hoping this could be their turning point after a rather disappointing M1 and terrible results in the 2019 Showdown,” former Limers fan, Lego, tells us, “Needless to say, the final result of the Limers solidified the fact for me that they aren’t the team to root for anymore.”

The team stayed silent for several months following the Showdown, leading many to wonder if the team would retire. However, to just about everyone’s surprise, it was revealed on 30 October that the Limers were invited to compete in Marbula One Season 2. This season, Lemonlime, “Citrus Quickness”, would be replacing Sublime in their Marbula One duo, with Limelime staying on the team.

Following an interview, Sublime expressed their dismay at not returning to the series. Coach Keylime had been quick to overrule the team captain’s request to compete in Season 2, sending Lemonlime instead.

“We decided to put in Lemonlime after seeing their potential in the Sand Moguls. If it wasn’t for the quick times of Azure and Bonbon, Lemonlime may have secured the wildcard spot and brought us out of the Showdown,” Keylime explains, somewhat despondent, “Either way, Lemonlime is a fast racer, and we’re all excited to see them compete.”

Due to recently acquired funding, the Limers submitted their Marbula One track, Monte Citrus, for review to be in Marbula One Season 2. The JMRC declined the track, instead opting to hold the seventh GP at the Jungle Jumper’s Raceforest, feeling the Limers track was “not exciting enough”. Redesigns were immediately put into action following the decision, with the Limers hoping to showcase the track in future seasons.

Despite the dissatisfaction of their hosting being denied, Limelime started the season off strong with a ninth-place after a brief stint in second during the first race of the season at Minty Mania. Lemonlime, on the other hand, proved to everyone that their concerns were justified, not even qualifying for their first GP at the O’raceway. Limelime followed suit, failing to qualify at the Honeydome, and although they qualified, Lemonlime finished in fourteenth place at the Aquamaring.

The Limers prepared for the fifth race of the season, Tumult Turnpike, sending out Limelime to compete. It was a chaotic course that played to Limelime’s strengths, with a banked turn where Limelime previously excelled. Although excited after qualifying in fifth, the team was not prepared for what would happen the next day.

Limelime accomplished what the Limers could not in over two years and earned a bronze medal during the Tumult Turnpike GP. With the rest of the team watching from the stands, Limelime fought fiercely upfront with Bolt and Yellow Eye for a majority of the race, even holding the lead for a couple of laps. The stunt brought the Limers up five spots in the standings to thirteenth place, two spots over the Raspberry Racers.

“I’m just about as surprised as everyone else is,” Limelime says in an interview after the race, exhilarated, “I didn’t expect to win a medal here today, but the Balls of Chaos do pride themselves on being unexpected, so maybe I should’ve seen it coming.”

After the team’s medal, the Raspberry Racers were the final team from Season 1 that had yet to medal. However, that changed during the next event at the Arctic Circuit, with Ruzzy securing a bronze, and Lemonlime finishing in 15th. Even after a bronze medal, the team immediately finished in a shameful position.

The team’s sorrows would not end there. In December 2020, JMR had announced that a five-event long Winter Special would be occurring during the Marbula One break. 16 teams would be invited personally to compete in the tournament. Unfortunately, none of these teams would be the Limers. Instead, the team continued attempting to train for their upcoming races.

During the break between the first and second half of M1S2, the team had a lot of time to think about their recent shortcomings.

“We were out of motivation. Lying around in a hotel with the rest of the team, I thought to myself that surely there must be something we can do to keep busy while so many other teams were off competing,” Lemonlime said, “So, I suggested that we should do something with the Garden Peas, a team we had previously competed with during the Fruit Circuit. They’d been out of work for a while and I wanted to meet up with them again.”

All four of the Peas had been good friends with the Limers since they had joined the Fruit Circuit and were embroiled in a friendly rivalry with them long before the days of the Raspberry Racers. The two teams kept touch for a short while after the Circuit’s last edition but eventually grew apart as the Limers went on to pursue bigger things. Goolime and Limelime had also met the Garden Peas in 2018 when they stayed together in Sotsevsa for a couple of weeks, but the teams had not seen each other since.

“Initially Sublime voiced their objections,” continued Lemonlime. “But they were quickly overruled. We phoned up Sweetpea, the former captain, and started talking. It was great to hear them again, and we ended up discussing possibly bringing other teams into the fray. Before we knew it, we had ourselves a full-on reunion.” 

Another team originating from the Fruit Circuit, Mellow Yellow had also not been invited to compete in the Winter Special. The team, being very good friends with the Limers, accepted the invitation gracefully. The Raspberry Racers and O’rangers, while veterans of the Fruit Circuit, had to decline invitations due to their participation in the Winter Special. The Jalapeños and Cayenne Cavalry, two teams with a bitter rivalry that had joined the Fruit Circuit in 2013, took their spots. Teams like the Avocado Apes, Blueberry Bonanza, Cherry Pits, Passionfruits, and Pumpkin Patch (the latter of whom had won the 2005 Circuit before retiring in 2009) had previously competed in the Fruit Circuit, but either had completely disbanded or were not available.

The Fruit Circuit Reunion was not like the competition they had competed in during their glory years. 16 teams would compete over five races, each one hosted by a different team. It would be practice for Marbula One for both the Limers and Mellow Yellow. The reunion also featured a variety of teams, both old and more recent. This included teams such as the Grape Nuts, Yarble Yellers, and Zoomchinis.

The Grape Nuts and Yarble Yellers, in particular, would be quite formidable teams, with the Grape Nuts winning both the 2008 and 2009 Circuits, and having on their team one of the most decorated marbles of the Fruit Circuit, Nuthin. The Yellers won as hosts in 2006, even finishing third in the 2015 Knikkegen Marble League, narrowly missing out on an invitation to Marble League 2016.

Cloudberry Colliders hosted the first race at their very own Cloud Caverns, located in Cloudcord, also being the city all the teams would meet up in. A short distance outside the orange team’s beautiful hometown was the Cloud Caverns. The course was treacherous, with part of the track making its way through a dark and twisty cave. The Limers were no stranger to offroad racing, however, and prepared accordingly.

The teams loaded the bus to the caverns and waited in anticipation of a track they had not competed at in years. It was nostalgic. On the way there, the teams struck up chatter, happy to see each other.

“So, how are you feeling about all this so far?” Rambutan, the captain of the Silver Lychees, asked Sublime after Sublime sat down next to them.

“Honestly, I had my doubts,” Sublime paused, “But it’s nice to see you guys after all. I mean, just look how much fun Limelime’s having already, and we haven’t even begun yet.” Sublime smiled and looked over to their left to see Limelime laughing with Chickpea of the Garden Peas.

“I know what you mean. We’ve been so busy with other competitions, but it’s probably nowhere close to what you guys have been doing. Being here brings back a lot of memories,” Rambutan stared out the window at the passing trees and chuckled to themself, “especially when we beat you in our debut year, what was that, 2011?”

Sublime returned the gesture to one-up Rambutan, “Yeah, you might’ve won by a single point, but I don’t think you want to remember what happened the next year.” Rambutan started to say something, but stopped, knowing Sublime had them beat. The Silver Lychees choked the lead in the final event of the 2012 Circuit, falling to third behind the Watermelon Wanderers and the Limers. The pair sat in silence, a warm feeling in their hearts as they approached the racetrack. Sublime knew their team needed this.

The team unanimously decided that Limelime should go in the first race. They wanted to start with a bang. And start with a bang they did. With the starting order randomized, Limelime began in thirteenth. As the lights blinked, Limelime prepared themselves as they looked around to all the other competitors. They spotted the rest of the team in the stands cheering them on in the stands. Goolime had even made signs for them. Limelime smirked as the light turned green, and they were off.

Limelime burst out into the front of the pack, overwhelming the rest of the competitors as they took a particularly good left turn. Moving their way up the order, Limelime passed by Tart of the Strawberry Strudels and Ani of the Aniseed Balls to take first place. Their technical skills shown at Tumult Turnpike shone on this course, even though they had never raced on it before. They exited the cave with a burst of speed across the finish line, taking first and earning the team gold to start.

All five of the Limers were ecstatic. This was one of the biggest successes they had in years, even if it was in a friendly competition. Limelime returned to the stands and the team cheered, extremely proud of what they had accomplished. Limelime was also congratulated by the other teams as they sat atop the podium above the Strawberry Strudels in second and the Cloudberry Colliders in third on their home track.

Making their way to the next course, Seedway, hosted in Dundseed, Slimelime was elected to participate. The Aniseed Balls had only used this track one time when they last hosted the entire Circuit in 2014. Slimelime had previously scored a bronze medal here in 2005 and was the team’s best bet. However, after setting expectations too high after the first race, Slimelime did not meet those expectations. A fifth-place had the team wondering if they were returning to their typical performances. The Grape Nuts placed first and overtook the Limers for second in the standings, while the Jalapeños placed second and the Yarble Yellers third.

“Oh well,” Slimelime sighed, “We take what we can get. We’re proud of Limelime and that’s what matters. It’s just good to be here in a lighthearted competition.”

Their performance didn’t get much better throughout the final three races, placing eleventh at the Garden Peas’ Overgrowth, twelfth and the Jalapeños’ Chili Pepper Cross, and thirteenth at the Silver Lychees’ Rambutan Run. Their initial gold carried them to finish tenth in the standings, a bottom half finish they were all too familiar with. However, there was a spark of hope within them, as they considered the future of their team.

A team that did get much better in the final races, however, was Mellow Yellow. Yelley and Yellup respectively took home two golds in the final two races to give Mellow Yellow a dominant win over the Grape Nuts and Watermelon Wanderers. The Cayenne Cavalry finished with fewer than 10 points after the Banana Splits overtook them after the race at Rambutan Run.

Although the team was coming off of their highest point in years at Tumult Turnpike, they could not keep the momentum. At the Raceforest GP, after staying in midpack for most of the race, Limelime hit a curb and got stuck on the track. Razzy, who had nearly been lapped, failed to collide with Limelime, resulting in the Limer’s second DNF.

Despite a promising qualifying in fifth, Lemonlime put in another disappointing showing at the Momotorway, coming in fifteenth.

“I just wasn’t feeling up to it tonight. I’m sorry.” Lemonlime had said, after being asked about their terrible performance at the race.

Unsurprisingly, the team was in a bad mental state following this start. Talks of the team announcing retirement following M1S2 began to stir, but Goolime was quick to voice their opinions on the matter. 

“The way I see it, JMR keeps throwing opportunities at us, what with M1 and the Showdown, so we must be good for something, right?”

But it wouldn’t get better at Palette Park. Limelime did well by finishing eighth and getting to Q2, but once again suffered a massive fall and ended up battling to stay out of the basement with Ruzzy. While Limelime finished fifteenth ahead of Ruzzy, it was another scoreless run, and another drop in positions for the Limers to nineteenth place, yet to pick up a point since the first half. 

The Limers would finally break their pointless streak at the controversial Misty Mountain GP, with Lemonlime getting a decent ninth position.

But those who thought that the Limers may do a late-season comeback were proven wrong, as the team saw themselves slip back down to second to last after failing to score in the final two races at the Savage Speedway and Midnight Bay.

To make matters worse for the team, they didn’t even have the Qualifiers to fall back on. It looked like 2021 would be yet another farce for them, when they received some surprising news during an interview outside Goolime’s Lemono cottage.

“Yeah, we’re all a bit gutted with M1S2, and us having to sit out another Marble League and… uhh- sorry, would you excuse me for a second? This isn’t a good time, I know, but I have just been given a letter from JMR, and as I’m sure you know it’s not every day this happens, and… oh. Well then. You might have to disregard what I said earlier, because unless this is some kind of prank or forgery, and I doubt it is because it’s quite hard to forge… oh, sorry, am I rambling on a bit? Anyway, the gist of the letter is that… we’ve got another chance in the Qualifiers.”

Introduced on 13 April 2021, the new qualification system allowed the bottom four Showdown teams an opportunity to qualify for the 2021 Marble League. The Limers were sorted into Group B alongside their old rivals, the Raspberry Racers.

Before Qualifiers, the Limers traveled to Felynia to compete in the Practice Race. Lemonlime represented the team and finished eighth overall, beating all of their Fruit Circuit rivals except for Kinnowin from the O’rangers.

In RetRollSpective, the Limers are a team that has done better in earlier years, especially before the Marble League. The rise of newer teams, notably the Raspberry Racers, has put into question the Limers’ form and overall capabilities. Nevertheless, there is something to be said about the team’s resilience, and after hitting rock-bottom in both Showdowns, we can only hope that they will come back stronger than they have ever been. Best of luck to the Limers in the near future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: Orbitball, Stynth, Vector 
• Editors: Efmo, The Emperor, Fouc, Smacg13, Skyfall_707
• Artists: Jack Ironhide, Nugget, Orbitball
• Graphic Designers: Fouc, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Tim Ritz, Spex
• Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, NordiqueWhaler, Phoenix
• Release: 17/08/2021