A New Rolling Obsession

I have found a new distraction.

By Kristen S.

 This pandemic and resulting quarantine has been hard on almost all of us. Front line workers in grocery stores, nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel, firefighters, police, postal workers, all are risking their lives for our protection and convenience.

But it is also hard on the rest of us. Those of us lucky enough to have income during this disaster are struggling with depression.

My plans for 2020 included attending gaming conventions to playtest and promote my tabletop roleplaying game, and work at the Renaissance Festivals, so I can play drums and entertain people. All of them have been cancelled. So, between working from home (I'm very fortunate), but having none of the things I enjoy most to look forward to, I've turned inward.

I'm not alone. Sports have all been cancelled, a major source of entertainment for millions of people. The Summer Olympics? Also postponed until next year. Sports fans around the world have been robbed of their fun, too.

John Oliver made a segment about the lack of sports this year that is worth a watch:



Now, what I find really interesting here is the last part of his segment, starting at 17:08. He showcases a wonderful phenomenon on YouTube known as Jelle's Marble Runs, a worldwide sports channel with some very competitive followers. Over a million, in fact.

The events vary, from a Marbleympics, Marbula 1 Racing, Sand Marble Rally, and a host of others. There are teams (I'm a fan of Team Galactic and the Jungle Jumpers!), leagues, tournaments, qualifiers, and large events to determine the winners of each season. It is actually very engaging, and I find myself rooting for my team, and feeling the disappointment of loss. I'm even considering getting a tee shirt to support my team.

Then, every so often, I realize that I'm cheering on a marble rolling down a track. It's surreal, it's weird, but it is so much fun!

Just have a look at this Marbleympics qualifying event footage video:



Tune in a bit, watch a video or two, and see if you're as enamored with this phenomenon as my son and I are. There are lots of videos, dating back to 2016, and more coming out all the time.

Go Team Galactic! (For the record, my son likes the Green Ducks.)

Let me know if you enjoy this as much as we do, and if so, which team you like most!

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