Editing Annual Gormball Championship

The '''Annual [[Gormball]] Championship''' occurs every year on the 23rd of September between the characters in the Gormball game. 

Although this is never an affair the Neopian public are involved in, nor are the Neopian public privy to the game itself, the results for the 2000 to 2005 games were uploaded each year to the Annual Gormball Championship [[Neopedia]] article. The event is sometimes mentioned on the New Features page, although there was no mention of it in Year 3 or Year 5, despite the Neopedia article being updated.  

The Gormball Championships started in Year 2, with Gormball having been released exactly a year before. There was no Neopedia update for the 2006 competition, with the Championship being somewhat overshadowed by the player-driven [[Altador Cup]] championship that [[Altador Cup 2006|premiered that year]]. The championship was featured as a theme day on the weekend of the 22nd and the 23rd September, but did not coincide with an update to the relevant Neopedia article. The article has not been updated for the years since. 

==Winners==
===2000 (Year 2)===
*'''Champion''': [[Brian]] ''*Disqualified*
*'''Runner-Up''': [[Thyassa]]
*'''Third Place''': [[Ursula]]

''This year's inaugral ''[sic]'' championship was a scandal-ridden affair, which concluded with Thyassa being declared the winner after Brian was disqualified for using a rigged ball. Despite his many protests to the contrary, the Scorchio's twitching eyebrows were a dead giveaway. Also of interest was a last-minute scratch by Dr. Sloth, who was sidelined by a mysterious prior commitment. Sloth's replacement, a Korbat named [[Kevin]], was obviously outclassed, yet managed to show some promise for the future.''

===2001 (Year 3)===
*'''Champion''': Thyassa
*'''Runner-Up''': [[Farvin III]]
*'''Third Place''': [[Gargarox Isafuhlarg]]

''After last year's controversial decision, Thyassa was under a great deal of pressure to prove that he was worthy of being regarded as a true champion. This year, though, all such questions were put to rest, as the sure-handed Chia put together a dominant performance and won a second straight title. A major surprise, though, was the strong showing by Farvin III, who used his ultra-powerful hearing ability to sense how close the ball was to popping. This extra-sensory advantage allowed the Alien Aisha to overcome his lack of familiarity with the game and make a strong showing, but in the end Thyassa's savvy and experience were simply too much.'' 

===2002 (Year 4)===
*'''Champion''': Ursula
*'''Runner-Up''': Gargarox Isafuhlarg
*'''Third Place''': [[Ember]]

''Given his strong showing last year, Farvin III was this year's odds-on favourite. However, many suspected foul-play, as a sudden ear infection waylaid the Alien Aisha's attempt to make a bid for the title. Luckily, those responsible for the deed were unable to capitalise on their trickery, as an Usul named Ursula rallied to pull through and get a much-deserved win. Known on the Gormball circuit as a tireless worker whose sense of fair play and dedication to the sport are unmatched, many of her fellow competitors were actually glad to see Ursula come away with the title, especially after she'd come so close two years earlier.''

===2003 (Year 5)===
*'''Champion''': Brian
*'''Runner-Up''': Farvin III
*'''Third Place''': [[Kevin]]

''Ever since his disqualification at the first championship, Brian had hardly been able to make it out of the first round during subsequent tournaments -- all the attention about what sort of dirty tricks he might have up his sleeve had made him too nervous to concentrate. However, after his surprising win this year, observers of the sport fell into two camps: those who believed that he'd finally been able to play fair and win, and those who thought that he'd simply found a way to keep those twitching eyebrows of his under control.''

===2004 (Year 6)===
*'''Champion''': Thyassa
*'''Runner-Up''': Kevin
*'''Third Place''': Gargarox Isafuhlarg

''Making good on the promise he began showing some years ago, Kevin has finally earned a place among the Gormball world's top players. After a surprising third-place finish last year, this Korbat Gormballer managed to come in second and prove that his success was no fluke.''

''The biggest story this year, though, wasn't Kevin, but rather the triumphant return of Thyassa. After winning the first two Gormball championships, this precocious Chia became increasingly frustrated with all the training that was necessary to stay on top. After taking a few years to pursue other interests, Thyassa came back this year with something to prove. Despite some signs of rust during the first few rounds, Thyassa managed a return to his winning ways, overcoming aggressive challenges from Kevin and Gargarox Isafuhlarg. '' 

===2005 (Year 7)===
*'''Champion''': Ember
*'''Runner-Up''': Farvin III
*'''Third Place''': Brian

''In an unprecedented event, Ember blew away her competition, finally taking her place as a Gormball champion. Though Brian muttered about the possible use of faerie powers, most agreed he had no right to call anyone else a cheater and should be pleased that he placed third.''

''Farvin III earned Runner-Up for the third time, much to the alien Aisha's dismay. Rumour has it that, after his latest narrow loss, Farvin will be going into training for a solid year. Hopefully, this will give him the edge he needs to finally claim first place, a position that has long been just out of his reach.''

''Though most figured Thyassa would easily win this year, the Chia's game was a bit off due to a bad case of Sneezles. However, he promises to return next year and claim the title of champion for the fourth time. ''

==Trivia==
*Thyassa is a [[Neopet]] of [[The Neopets Team]] staff member [[Donna]].
*[[Zargrold]] is the only player featured in the Gormball game that never finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place.
*In 2010 (Year 12), the Annual Gormball Championship coincided with [[The Faeries' Ruin]] plot, and it was mentioned in the news that Ember, too, had turned to stone.

==External links==
*'''Neopedia''': [http://neopets.com/neopedia.phtml?neopedia_id=5&criteria= Annual Gormball Championship]
*[http://neopets.com/search.phtml?selected_type=pet&string=thyassa Thyassa]
*[http://www.neopets.com/objects.phtml?type=shop&obj_type=22 Gargarox's Cafe]

[[Category:Neopets Holidays]]
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