It’s an all out brawl among teachers and students to make it to the top of the bracket — and it’s almost time to see who makes the cut.
By Alex Gallagher
Web Master
The annual Mario Power Tennis Singles Tournament is currently unfolding during Patriot Time in Mr. Sinclair’s room; teachers and students alike are bringing the heat this year. As the bracket dwindles down until the champion permanently makes their mark on Northern High School’s history, the pressure increases during each game and the question arises: who will use this pressure to become a diamond, and who will get crushed like a goomba?
An ongoing Northern tradition now in its eighth year, the NHS Mario Tennis Tournament has transformed over the years. However, the spirit of the tournament remains steadfast all this time later. Back then, history was in the making through the violent grasp of a GameCube controller, with the mashing of buttons and light-hearted trash-talk between high schoolers and teachers alike. “I’ve always had the GameCube linked up to my smartboard in my classroom,” says competition host and competitor Mr. Sinclair, citing how the idea of a Doubles tournament came about simply through casual play during the school day. However, the Mario Tennis Singles tournament was not in motion until three years ago, as the teachers needed to scope out future competitors due to their senior doubles partners graduating. Back when Northern had hour-long lunches, early competitions were scheduled during lunches throughout the progression of the bracket. Now, competitions occur during Patriot Time until the winner has been decided.
The current Singles bracket consists of seven teachers and nine students; the first match-up was a story of betrayal — pitting Mr. Gordon against his own Mario Tennis Doubles partner, Junior Quinn Valadie. The entire tournament is jam-packed with chaos and competition, whether that be Mrs. Andes’ commitment to the game overall, or the mutual teacher-student effort to dethrone the tournament founder, Mr. Sinclair: “people really enjoy trying to knock me out of the tournament quite a lot,” Sinclair said. Why such passionate competition? Some do it for the love of the game, but some are gunning for their name to be written on the Singles championship belt that resides in Mr. Sinclair’s room. Teachers are also incentivized when it comes to the famed Mario Tennis Doubles tournament, as they not only get their names written on the separate Doubles trophy, but they get to display their victory in their room until the following year’s competition. Etched sentimentally along the circumference of the rim are the names of winners past, inspired by the tradition the Stanley Cup carries.
When it comes to winning, reigning co-champion of the Mario Tennis Doubles tournament, Senior Lucas Craun, states that confidence and the ability to keep calm under pressure is the foundation for what it takes to be a winner. Originally a student in Mr. Sinclair’s ninth grade English class, Craun began competing alongside his soccer coach, Mr. Bullock upon hearing about the tournament. “I remember playing Super Smash Bros and [Mr. Sinclair] having his GameCube in his room,” stated Craun regarding how Mr. Sinclair introduced him to the tournament. In the time of the Doubles tournament being the only gaming competition within the school, Craun quickly became passionate for the tournament, engaging in the tournament every year since he first attended Northern.
While the bracket is ongoing, there exists an opportunity for anyone interested in participating to take a shot at winning the Doubles tournament in the spring. Outside of that, visitors are welcome to watch each match in Mr. Sinclair’s classroom, room 330. Additionally, the Singles bracket is on display on the whiteboard in the same room.