Bayou Big Cubes 2023

The tables at the Denham Springs High School STEM and Robotics Center filled quickly as competitors took their stations on March 4, 2023. Unlike the quiet pens and paper of a Fewest Moves discipline where solvers map out deliberate solutions step by step, this single-day speedcubing gathering in Denham Springs, Louisiana, USA was entirely about raw velocity across larger, more intricate puzzles. Bayou Big Cubes 2023 gathered 57 competitors across 6 events and 12 rounds of intense tournament action.

The classic Rubik's Cube brought the largest lineup of the meet, with 57 solvers battling through three full rounds. Dylan Miller delivered the standout performance in the final, securing first place with an average of 6.82 seconds and the fastest single solve of the event at 5.89. Teri McAcy earned second place with an 8.24 average, while Ryan Bishop rounded out the top three at 9.99. In the official 3x3 results, Melanie Barber logged a personal mark of 9.71 single and a 12.51 average.

In the 4x4x4 Cube, the fight for the title came down to a razor-thin margin of one hundredth of a second. Teri McAcy took the victory with an average of 32.48 seconds, edging out Zachary White who finished runner-up at 32.49. McAcy also registered the fastest single of the bracket at 28.52 seconds. Dylan Miller claimed third place with a 34.96 average in the 30-person field.

Zachary White took control across the remaining big cube schedule, sweeping the top spots in the 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 events. In the 5x5x5 Cube, White won with an average of 58.43 seconds, ahead of Teri McAcy at 1:02.17 and Dylan Miller at 1:05.72. White produced the round best single at 54.64 seconds. The performance marked a commanding start to his dominant run through the multi-layered puzzles on the schedule.

White maintained that blistering standard as the cube sizes expanded. In the 6x6x6 Cube, he topped the 14-competitor bracket with a 1:46.24 average and a 1:44.50 single, while McAcy took second in 1:55.27 and Elliott Ashe placed third in 2:20.88. The 7x7x7 Cube final saw White win again with an average of 2:33.18, leading McAcy with 3:21.92 and Roy Lee with 3:24.00 to complete a trio of big cube victories at the speed cubing tournament.

The twelve-sided Megaminx event provided another compelling showcase for Dylan Miller, who topped the podium with a winning average of 39.51 seconds and a best single of 33.56. Roy Lee earned the silver step on the podium with a 47.94 average, and Melanie Barber secured bronze with a mark of 56.64. Across every discipline, United States competitors captured all 18 podium positions awarded throughout the day.

Beyond the championship trophies, the WCA competition offered a platform for dramatic personal breakthroughs across the roster. Joel Johnson notched a massive 53.3 percent improvement on the standard cube, dropping his personal best to 17.99 seconds from a previous 38.50. Noah Green sliced 35.6 percent off his previous 4x4x4 best to record a 56.22, while also posting a 1:40.91 in his first ever attempt at Megaminx. Zachary Frieden cut 27.9 percent from his 4x4x4 best down to 1:09.00 and completed first attempts in the 5x5x5 at 2:54.55 and 6x6x6 at 7:13.10. Dylan Michaels tackled 5 events, earning fourth place in the 7x7x7 with a debut 3:30.43 alongside first attempts in 4x4x4 at 38.77 and 5x5x5 at 1:08.52.

Fresh milestones continued down the rankings for several other participants taking on demanding new challenges. Aaron Roberts entered all 6 events, achieving a best finish of 12th in the 7x7x7 and logging initial official marks in Megaminx at 2:33.39, 6x6x6 at 6:56.94, and 4x4x4 at 1:59.63. Jackson Barnes entered 4 events, placing 8th in the 5x5x5 while improving his 4x4x4 personal best by 9.3 percent to 44.54 and his 5x5x5 best by 5.6 percent to 1:18.79. Alex Wagner made their first official appearance, entering 4 events with debut marks of 1:22.88 on the 4x4x4, 2:51.40 on the 5x5x5, and 2:23.55 on the Megaminx. Jaxson Wells also completed their first official appearance, registering initial times across 4 events including a 36.71 single on the 3x3x3.

The intense day of solving concluded having pushed 57 competitors through 12 complete rounds across the full spectrum of twisty puzzles. From Dylan Miller sub-seven average in the main event to Zachary White multi-event sweep of the largest cubes, Bayou Big Cubes 2023 delivered a fast-paced test of endurance and execution. As the equipment was packed away in Denham Springs, competitors left with fresh personal milestones to build upon for the remainder of the 2023 cubing competition calendar.