Gold: Redemption
Over two years ago, the Oceanics were second overall going into the semifinals of the Sand Mogul Race. They were one point behind the O’rangers, who had not made it past their initial heat, and they had the chance to win the entire tournament as long as they made it to the finals and won the event. The Oceanics’ 2018 season, with 2 gold and 1 bronze medal, was a definitive season for a team that had previously been mired in the middle of the pack. This was the Oceanics’ chance to win it all.
Of course, we all know what happened. The Oceanics choked in a spectacular fashion, placing last in their heat while the Midnight Wisps and Savage Speeders moved on, podiuming overall ahead of the Oceanics in third. They floundered in a dramatic fashion in the 2019 Marble League, earning no medals and finishing in dead last—all while hosting the tournament. Even after a regular offseason of training, uninterrupted by a potential debut in Marbula One, the Oceanics still couldn’t get it together at the beginning of this season after qualifying in third. The team recently set a new record for the most consecutive events without earning a medal, breaking the Pinkies’ 26-event streak.
Ocean’s gold medal in this event symbolizes so much for a team that has been trapped in Davy Jones’s locker during the past two years. It may not symbolize a Marble League championship, and it may not even redeem the Oceanics of their collapse last year…but it does prove that the team has grown. After their fans left their home stadium in disappointment, after sitting at the bottom of the standings two events ago, and after 27 consecutive failed attempts to get on the podium, the Oceanics have done it.