Racers went head-to-head at the Mario Kart Tournament

Students took their places at the starting line for the Mario Kart tournament on Nov. 19 in the Esports Arena. Racers went head-to-head in a series of matches for the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. There was food, drinks and plenty of racing to be done.

The bracket split eight participants into two groups. The two highest scoring participants from each group competed in a final match to determine the winner. Mariah Gray led Princess Daisy across the finish line and was crowned the winner of the tournament.

Gray entered the tournament after some convincing from her friend. She came into it confident but cautious, making sure no Banana Peel caught her off guard.

“I didn’t want to be too cocky,” said Gray. “I was like, ‘What if I don’t win?’ I even told my friend that I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna win or not, but I hope I do.’”

Her hopes were not misplaced. Despite winning the tournament, her nerves got the best of her early on and affected her performance.

“I could have done better,” said Gray. “I was…kind of shaking a little bit. I get kind of shaky whenever I’m around other people I’m playing, but I had a lot of fun.

Once she dealt with the jitters, it would take more than a Red Shell to stop Gray’s momentum. She won in a decisive fashion, taking first place in every match.

“I’m really happy,” said Gray. “I’m proud of myself. I need to have more faith in myself, I guess.”

Gray’s not the only one who was impressed with her performance. Dawn Cline, an intern for Griffon Esports, thought Gray had a standout showing.

“I think the winner did pretty good,” said Cline. “I was watching her play the whole time, and she was really good at Mario Kart. She got first place every time. It was impressive to watch her.”

Cline worked alongside Director of Esports Alec Mueller to make this tournament happen. Cline handled the marketing and officiating of the tournament, while Mueller handled the food, drinks and prizes. Their goal was to do something fun for the students before the rush of finals.

“We’re gonna be coming back for finals and stuff soon,” said Mueller. “So it’s just a way to decompress from academics and everything, just to take a break for a little bit and have some fun.”

Mueller and Cline are both open to hosting more tournaments in the future. Keep your controller handy so you don’t miss out on the chance to take home the gold.