Arizona Speedcubing Spring 2023

One hundred and ten competitors gathered at C O Greenfield Elementary School as Arizona Speedcubing Spring 2023 got underway on March 19, 2023. Staged in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, the one-day WCA competition delivered ten rounds of high-pressure action across five classic disciplines. For seasoned veterans, the meet served as an ideal platform to demonstrate their established form and sharpen their routines against a packed schedule.

Max Park stood at the centre of the action, asserting control across the major puzzles. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Park dominated a field of 107 entrants through three rounds of competition, locking down first place with a winning average of 6.11 and the round-best single of 5.19. Jeremy Bulambot took the second spot with a 7.95 average, while Dan Tran rounded out the podium in 7.97, securing prominent marks in the official 3x3 results for the day.

Park continued his commanding display on the bigger hardware. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Park secured another title with a 19.38 average and a best single of 17.60 across two rounds, outpacing Dan Tran who finished second with 31.58 and Caleb Hoffman in third with 38.31. The 5x5x5 Cube final followed a similar narrative, where Park topped the 30-competitor field with a 39.00 average, backed by a 36.64 single. Tran again took second with 56.85, followed by Hoffman with 1:15.77.

Dan Tran proved to be one of the most versatile forces throughout the cubing competition, capturing a gold medal of his own in the 2x2x2 Cube. Tran posted an event-winning average of 2.56 along with a 1.97 single across two rounds, holding off Ivan Vanek who took second in 2.88 and Samuel Low in third at 2.89. Tran also added a silver medal in the Megaminx, showing remarkable consistency across completely different puzzle mechanisms.

The Megaminx contest saw Roy Lee rise to the occasion, taking first place with a sharp 50.83 average and a 44.67 single over 26 competitors. Lee held off Tran, who recorded a 53.76 average for second, and Mia Sponseller, who earned third place with 55.48. In total, all 15 podium places awarded at the meet went to competitors representing the United States, showcasing deep regional talent across all categories.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several participants marked personal milestones. Lucas Mastin cut his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 7.97, improving by 64.3 percent from a previous mark of 22.33, while also taking his 3x3x3 Cube time down 22.5 percent to 34.35. Aaditya Venktesh trimmed his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 52.7 percent down to 6.09. Bryce Lund showed steady progress across three events, lowering his 4x4x4 Cube best by 41.9 percent to 1:11.21, his 3x3x3 Cube time by 19.3 percent to 15.60, and his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 16.5 percent to 4.39. Mateo Gonzalez Mendez also made major gains, taking 40.8 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube record to reach 6.35 and cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best by 34.3 percent to 21.43.

First attempts at challenging events also stood out across the floor. Lucas Louden entered five disciplines, setting a Megaminx personal best of 1:47.47, a 35.1 percent improvement, alongside an 8.4 percent drop in the 5x5x5 Cube to 1:40.47 and a sixth-place finish in 2x2x2 Cube. Slade Ruiz attended their first WCA competition, tackling five events including a first 3x3x3 Cube effort of 12.66 and a 52.35 first attempt in 4x4x4 Cube to secure 18th in Megaminx. Zachary Stewart also debuted in five events, logging a 1:10.08 in 4x4x4 Cube and finishing 19th in Megaminx. Braden Chavez took on four events in their debut, registering a 1:05.21 in 4x4x4 Cube and an 18.39 in 3x3x3 Cube.

The 2x2x2 Cube event also saw a broad collection of benchmark times registered across the field, with Thomas Wikman posting a 5.84 single and 7.66 average, Stephanie Louden recording 14.68 and 19.41, Emmanuel Pereira logging 7.61 and 15.79, and Joshua Melton notching 10.76 and 12.53. TJ Hayward added marks of 4.16 and 6.25, while Lucas Louden turned in a 2.84 single and 2.90 average, and Brody McDonald set marks of 6.43 and 8.40.

With 110 participants rotating through tables of classic Rubik's Cube formats and larger dodecahedrons, the speed cubing action remained brisk throughout the single-day schedule. Arizona Speedcubing Spring 2023 reaffirmed the sharpness of its headline veterans while providing fertile ground for emerging solvers to test themselves under tournament conditions.