The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 T-R

The room was stuffy and hot, compared to the outside colder weather, and the competitors were sat in the rather uncomfortable chairs of the dormitory. Some of the racers went in focused and prepared, while others, like Naphin, were extremely full of themselves.

“To prepare, I just think of my opponents and how bad they’ll feel when they lose, and that, you know, that motivates me,” Naphin stated.

The four competitors, Connor Mokrzycki, Alec Liautaud, Walker Shumock-Bailey, and Patrick Naphin began the races by picking their characters, with Mokrzycki taking Waluigi, Liautaud choosing Toad, Shumock-Bailey selecting Yoshi, and Naphin sticking with Luigi from the warmups.  

The tournament was over 4 races throughout the Mario Kart Wii line up, with items, including the blue shell, which hits the racer in first place and stops them in their tracks, the Bullet Bill, which gives the racer a large boost, and the star, which speeds up the kart and makes the player invincible from any other offensive objects.

The first race took place on Maple Treeway, the third track of the Star Cup, and started the finals off with a bang. Mokrzycki took the lead of the starting line, but before the end of the first lap, Naphin took first.

The race ended with little excitement, with Naphin in first, taking 15 points, Liautaud in second, taking eight, Mokrzycki in third, taking five, and Shumock-Bailey not finishing, taking zero.  

The second race was on Mushroom Gorge, and Naphin took the lead in the first lap, immediately creating a lead that wasn’t affected by a blue shell.

The race ended with Mokrzycki in first, taking 15 points, Naphin is second, taking 12, Shumock-Bailey in third, taking eight, and Liautaud in fourth, taking two. 

“This is too easy,” Naphin bragged after the race.

Once again, in the third race, taking place on Delfino Square, Naphin took the lead almost immediately and created an enormous gap, quickly making it a race for second. 

Naphin easily finished in first, and it looked like Liautaud would be right behind, but Mokrzycki grabbed a Bullet Bill right before the finish line that shoved him into the second position. Naphin received 15 points, Mokrzycki 12, Shumock-Bailey nine, and Liautaud eight. 

The fourth and final race was much more intense than any of the others, taking place on Koopa Cape. Naphin, as usual, took the lead at the beginning, but Liautaud kept close behind. Despite Liautaud hitting Naphin with a blue shell towards the end of the first lap, Naphin remained in first. 

Mokrzycki was crushed by a larger car, leaving him slower than the rest, but he quickly received a star, pushing him into second. 

Naphin and Mokrzycki were both struck by lightning late in the second, but both of them kept their positions. While Mokrzycki was close behind Naphin, he wasn’t confident in his abilities.

“I don’t know if I can take him,” Mokrzycki said.

The race went towards the end of the fourth with much incident, but, after Naphin had already crossed the finish line in first, Mokrzycki fell off the side of the map, allowing Liautaud to overtake his position and finish in second.

Naphin won overall, finishing with 57 points. Mokrzycki took second, with 40 points, Liautaud in third, with 30 points, and Shumock-Bailey finished fourth with a dismal 22 points. 

“I didn’t play very well today,” Shumock-Bailey stated, “I’m guess I’m pretty tired. It’s not very fun to lose.”

Naphin was excited with his win, though his sportsmanship was questionable.

“They clearly didn’t know how to race,” Naphin noted, “it makes me feel like one of the few people in the world who actually knows how to drive a car. In real life, and in this game.”