Hornets

Hornets
Color	Black with Yellow stripes
Active Years	2019 - Present
Coach	Swarm
Hashtag	#BringTheSting
Best Event	MLS: Sand Rally (2019) Collision (2019)
Marble League
Appearances	1 (first in 2020)
Best Result	N/A
Gold	0
Silver	0
Bronze	0
Total	N/A
Points	17
Marble League Showdown
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best Result	2nd (2019)
Gold	0
Silver	2
Bronze	1
Total	3
Points	48 points
Marbula One
Appearances	1 (first in S1)
Gold	0
Pole Positions	0
Fastest Laps	0
Points	8 points

The Hornets are a team that first competed in the Marble League Showdown 2019. The team was the winner of the first Fan Team Contest in that same year.

Team Members

Stinger, Wasp, Vespa, Hive, and Yellowjacket are the original and current members of the team. Stinger became captain upon the team's formation.

2019 Team	2020 Team
Stinger	Stinger
Wasp	Wasp
Vespa	Vespa
Hive	Hive
Yellowjacket	Yellowjacket

Color	Meaning
	Team Member
	Reserve Member
	Injured

Members timeline

Coaches

Coach	From	To	Events	G	S	B	Tot.	Honors
Swarm	6 March 2019	present	19	0	2	1	3	ML Showdown 2019 - Runners Up

History

The Hornets' original 2019 logo, designed by Spark11 (the team's creator).

The Hornets come from the Eastern European city of Buzzkill, the westernmost city within the Buzznya region. The five current members of the team grew up there. Stinger and Wasp have known each other since childhood. They met their future teammates at the Hornets, Vespa, Hive and Yellowjacket, at individual marble races. Their coach, Swarm, is the father of Vespa and a former athlete. Each member of the team is seen as vitally important to the others.

Vespa, the only female member of the Hornets, is known for her marble racing experience, and that earns her the nickname "Speed Queen", which she finds fitting. Wasp is very loyal to the team, and especially to his best friend Stinger, having competed together for many years. He can also be aggressive, but it stems from a passion for marble sports and a drive to avoid losing. Hive is outgoing, funny and friendly with other teams. He doesn't let poor performance get to him, and he guides the team forward towards better results.

Yellowjacket, the reserve and youngest member of the Hornets, has never shown his age through his energy and competing with other marbles. Stinger, the team captain, is the one who holds the team together, setting an example for fellow team members to follow. He is one of the most decorated marble athletes, and his self-control in times of pressure inspire his teammates to remain hopeful and follow in his footsteps.

The Hornets confronting a Bumblebee over their performance in a race

The Hornets were one of the first teams in the Bug Circuit, a regional marble racing tournament in Eastern Europe that started in 2011. The inaugural competition was hosted by the Bumblebees. The Hornets emerged victorious and claimed their first championship, beating the host team by a narrow margin. This marked the start of the Hornets' friendly rivalry with the Bumblebees, who also happen to hail from Buzznya.

Over the next two years, the Hornets proceeded to keep up with their performance in the Bug Circuit. The team came in third in the 2012 competition, hosted by the Centipedes and won by the Ladybugs, who finished third last year. The Scorpions stood ahead of the Hornets in the final standings. In the 2013 competition, hosted by the Moths, who eventually came third, the Hornets scored another top three overall finish, finishing second behind the Dragonflies.

The Bumblebees had failed to challenge the Hornets for the past few years, but that changed in 2014. The year's competition was hosted by the Snails and had a snow theme. The Bumblebees managed to win their first Bug Circuit after years of inconsistent performances beforehand, and were joined by the Cockroaches and the Grasshoppers for the top three. The Hornets were sure disappointed that they did not make it into the top three. But they were not daunted and decided to put this behind them.

The Hornets were selected to host the 2015 Bug Circuit, which boosted their morale greatly. In fact, the team went on to dominate the competition, but things didn't always go the way they were hoping. During one of the races, Stinger was doing poorly. The Hornets fans started crying "Bzzzzzzzz" at Stinger, which eventually became their signature cheering chant as it helped him win the race. This, in turn, helped the Hornets win their second Bug Circuit championship, ahead of the Ants and the Tarantulas. They had become the first team to win a Bug Circuit season as the hosts, the feat they had prevented their rivals from achieving four years earlier.

Unfortunately, the Hornets faltered in the 2016 Bug Circuit, and missed out on the top three, while the rival Bumblebees came in third right ahead of them. Ever since then, the Hornets became even more determined to give their best. In fact, the team succeeded in redeeming their disappointing 2016 performances by winning the 2017 Bug Circuit, earning their third championship.

The Hornets after winning a Bug Circuit

In 2018, the Bumblebees announced they would be leaving the Bug Circuit to compete in the Hubelino Tournament 2018, replacing the now-retired Team Phoenix. That year, the Grasshoppers also left to train Grasshopper for Sand Marble Rally 2018, and the Tarantulas returned after spending two years helping Tarantula in the Sand Marble Rally. The Hornets remained in the 2018 Bug Circuit, finishing second, but felt something was missing following the departure of their rivals.

When the fan vote for the Marble League Showdown 2019 was announced, the Hornets decided to apply. They used their experience in the Bug Circuit and their rivalry with the Bumblebees to rally support from the marblebase. This, coupled with dominant social media presence, led to the Hornets winning both rounds of fan voting. In the latter round, they won by a whopping two-thousand votes. The team, along with the Turtle Sliders, were admitted to Marble League Showdown 2019. However, they decided not to go watch Marble League 2019 so they could focus on training for the Showdown.

Thanks to Hive's networking and continued friendship between the Hornets and the Bumblebees, both teams eventually met each other for the first time in two years. During their joint training session, the Bumblebees revealed that they had also qualified for the Showdown due to their victory in the Hubelino Tournament 2018. The Hornets also trained with some other Showdown teams as the competition got nearer. They arrived at the Seven Seas Stadium six weeks before the Showdown started and trained all the way up to the night before the first event, the Sand Rally.

The Hornets had a great start to the Showdown. Vespa stayed in the top four throughout the entire Sand Rally event and finished second. The team earned a second silver medal in Event 2, Collision, rising to the top of the standings. This was followed by Funnel Race, the only event the team failed to medal in, coming in 6th. It was also the only event where the Bumblebees had beaten them. However, by this point, the Hornets already had enough points to secure their place at the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers. They concluded the Showdown by finishing in second overall, following their bronze medal in Event 4, Balancing. The Bumblebees also qualified in seventh.

As the Hornets prepared for the Qualifiers, they received an official invite from the JMRC to take part in Marbula One 2020. Since the team have yet to participate in a Marble League championship tournament, they saw the invitation as an honor, so they accepted it and chose Vespa and Hive to represent them. In fact, Marbula One would be a great place for the Hornets to learn of some of the other teams they have yet to go up against. They were also selected to host the fourth Grand Prix at their track, the Hivedrive.

The Hornets competed in the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers. When the first event, Balancing, came, the Hornets had two finishers, for a score of 350. That was good enough for them to come in 6th overall. The next event was Funnel Endurance, where they were represented by their captain, Stinger. He was placed into Heat 1, where he scored a 2:02.70, 5th in the heat, and 11th overall, dropping them down to a decent 8th place.

The Hornets were confident going into the next event, Block Pushing. They were paired into Heat 2 With the Balls of Chaos, and they came up short to the team, at a 54.9, not a great run. They came in 19th and only gained one point, dropping them all the way down to 16th.

They had to come out with a good finish at this next event. Wasp was chosen to represent the team, and he was sorted into Heat 2, with the Crazy Cat's Eyes, Team Momo, and the Indigo Stars. Wasp finished with a time of 5.292, good enough for 2nd in the heat. Overall, the Hornets finished 8th, and the entire team was wondering whether it would be enough to qualify. But in the end, 12 points saw them through to 8th place, 10th place overall, and a spot in the Marble League 2020.

Marble League Showdown 2019

Main article: Marble League Showdown 2019

The Hornets qualified for the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers.

Event	Participant	Final Result	Placing	Points	Overall Standing
Sand Rally	Vespa	2:13.67	2nd	15	2nd
Collision	All	Runner Up	2nd	15	1st
Funnel Race	Stinger	1:21.76	6th	6	3rd
Balancing	All	364 cm	3rd	12	2nd

Marbula One Season 1

Main article: Marbula One Season 1

Season	Entrant	SAV	ORA	MOM	HOR	GDK	TBO	RSP	MNW	Points	Total
S1	Vespa	13th		11th			14th	15th		31st (0)	16th (8)
	Hive		9th		7th	14th			14th	29th (8)

Grand Prix	Participant	Qualifying Position	Time	Place	Points	Overall Standing	Vespa Standing	Hive Standing
Savage Speedway	Vespa	8th	5:36.77	13th	0	13th	13th	-
O'raceway	Hive	7th	5:25.71	9th	2	12th	25th	17th
Momotorway	Vespa	16th	5:47.61	11th	0	14th	28th	19th
Hivedrive	Hive	13th	5:38.23	7th	6	14th	29th	19th
Greenstone	Hive	9th	6:11.16	14th	0	16th	30th	22nd
Short Circuit	Vespa	7th	5:34.94	14th	0	16th	31st	26th
Razzway	Vespa	11th	5:40.58	15th	0	16th	31st	29th
Midnight Bay	Hive	12th	8:03.57	14th	0	16th	31st	29th

Marble League 2020

Main article: Marble League 2020

Qualifiers

The Hornets qualified for Marble League 2020.

Event	Participant	Final Result	Place	Points	Overall Standing
Balancing	All	350 cm	6th	14	6th
Funnel Endurance	Stinger	2:02.70	11th	9	8th
Block Pushing	All	54.9 cm	19th	1	16th
5 Meter Sprint	Wasp	5.292 sec.	8th	12	10th

Main Tournament

Event	Participant	Final Result	Placing	Points	Overall Standing
Balancing	All	264 cm	12th	4	12th
Halfpipe	All	56.61	7th	9	10th
Funnel Endurance	Vespa	1:59.52 sec	12th	4	12th

Results

Marble League Results Year Events Medals Result Points G S B Tot. 2019 Did not participate 2020 16 Currently ongoing

Marble League Showdown Results Year Events Medals Result Points G S B Tot. 2019 4 0 2 1 3 2nd 48

Marbula One Results

Season	Grands Prix	Medals				Result	Points
		G	S	B	Tot.
S1	8	0	0	0	0	16th	8

Gallery

Team Profile 2020

Marbula One (S1) Poster

Trivia

• The team shares a rivalry with the Bumblebees.
• Their fans' "BZZZZZZZ" chant is similar to the O'rangers' signature "OOOOOOOO" fan chant.
• The Hornets won both rounds of the fan team contest vote, and won the second round by nearly 2,000 votes.