BUMBLEBEES (BEE)

The Bumblebees hail from Buzznya, a subregion that borders Herbotamia to the south and Galakonur to the east. Their city of origin, Buzzpig, lies on the eastern border of the region, as far east as Buzzkill, the Hornets’ city of origin, is to the west. The two teams have a legendary rivalry within the region, within the Bug Circuit, and now within the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs.

Bumble founded the team over a decade ago to compete with the Hornets, who were beginning to build a fanbase in Buzzpig. Queen, who was, at the time, an active member of the Royal Family of Buzznya, fully endorsed the establishment of the Bumblebees and deemed them the official sports team of Buzzpig. Queen would go on to coach the team during the Bug Circuit, drawing from their own experiences in sports playing cricket.

Shortly after the Bumblebees were founded, the Royal Family of Buzznya announced the first annual Bug Circuit to determine the best team in the land. The Bumblebees were selected to host the first season in 2011, and that year, they did so in their newly constructed Buzzbowl. After a season of events in water, dirt, and sand, the Bumblebees finished as runners-up to the Hornets. The Bumblebees earned their first championship at the end of the 2014 Bug Circuit.

Revenge came swiftly next year for the Bumblebees, who did poorly during the 2015 Bug Circuit, which the Hornets hosted and won at their Hivedrive. The events that the Hornets offered played to the Bumblebees’ weaknesses as a team, and the team placed outside of the top five. 2016 was a better year for the Bumblebees, as they placed third.

It was not long before the Bumblebees felt disinterested in the Bug Circuit, but they found a welcome change in the 2018 Hubelino Tournament. They applied and were accepted because of their successes in the Bug Circuit and their proximity to Herbotamia; the team was close enough to be considered a regional competitor.

Buzzpig welcomed the Bumblebees home after they won the tournament, holding a citywide parade to celebrate the team’s victory. Fans of JMR noted the Bees’ exemplary performance in their rookie season, having earned golds in half of the eight events, and began calling for them to compete in the 2019 Marble League Qualifiers. The team was flattered, but not interested.

The announcement of the Marble League Showdown changed the Bumblebees’ plans, but they were okay with the development, as it would still give them a year of competing before a chance to qualify. The Bees accepted their spot in the Showdown, but what the team wasn’t expecting, was that their old rivals would also be joining the tournament.

The Hornets, coming off of a second-place finish in the 2018 Bug Circuit, were truly looking to bring the sting in the Showdown. They placed second in the Showdown while the Bumblebees finished seventh in the standings, a position that would allow them to advance to the 2020 Marble League Qualifiers.

The Bumblebees qualified for Marble League 2020 in a historic four-way tiebreaker, but would this be representative of their hunger for competition? Although Honey later won a silver medal in the High Jump, the Bumblebees ended the league in eleventh; five points ahead of the Green Ducks, but more than a medal behind the top ten.

The Bumblebees returned to Buzznya for the offseason and spent most of their days at the royal palace. The palace had a luxurious view of the Honeycomb Island, where the Bumblebees would spend some of their days training when they weren’t playing bugby.

They would partake in the Herbotamia Reunion Tournament soon and visit the host city of Chlorotopia. The results of said tournament, protected under a strict NDA, are not known except to those who were present.

Following the Herbotamia Tournament, Coach Queen chose Bumble, “Unbeelievable,” and Honey, “Sweet Dream,” to participate in Season 2 of Marbula One. It was during this time that Queen became acquainted with Nectar and Beeline—a duo from the southern regions of Buzznya, and some of the greatest cricket players in all of the region. Queen began to see that with these two on board, the Bumblebees would have great role models to look up to and train with. To Queen’s pleasant surprise, Nectar and Beeline accepted and took on the roles of assistant coaches.

The Bumblebees started the season off well, however, there wouldn’t bee a lot of success for them, as neither athlete was able to earn a medal and the team finished thirteenth overall. 

Following the Misty Mountain GP, Nectar and Beeline called an emergency meeting back in Buzznya. It was there that the coaches dropped the news that the Hornets would be retiring from the Marble League altogether, effective immediately.

Queen, using a large portion of funds from the Buzznya Royal Family’s treasury, managed to buy the organization, and save them from bankruptcy. The team greatly expressed their gratitude towards the Bumblebees but insisted that they must go. 

Following the retirement, the Bumblebees became the first team to own two Marbula One tracks. With the purchase of the Hornets organization, the Hivedrive now fell into the Bumblebees’ possession. During the extended break between Grands Prix 10 and 11, the Bumblebees spent a lot of time training at the Royal Palace with the Hornets, who had taught them their secret technique to mastering optimal speed in the hive. The teams got along really well when they weren’t playing each other in bugby, their favorite sport.

The Bumblebees were officially joined by Nectar and Beeline now, who would be acting as managers for the team, and would be overseeing finances. The team would spend a lot of days and nights training with the Hornets, waiting, practicing, preparing for the biggest competition yet…and a chance to prove that they still had their 2018 dominance. 

However, that was not to be within the 2021 Marble League. Although they were placed into the less-competitive Group B and earned a bronze in Funnel Endurance, the Bumblebees could not find their footing and did not qualify for the main tournament. That said, their Showdown performance proved to be more promising. Earning a bronze in the 5 Meter Relay and a silver in Diving, the Bumblebees’ other performances in the midpack, with a notable fourth in Marblocross, led them to finish fourth overall with 56 points.

Following their strong results in the Showdown, Nectar and Beeline submitted Bumble and Swax, “The Bee’s Knees”, to compete in Marbula One Season 3.

Special thanks to Project Marblearth contributors The Emperor and Stynth for helping craft the lore of the Bumblebees.