Big Cubes in Edneyville 2023

The tables at the Edneyville Community Center filled early as competitors gathered for a day dedicated to solving complex puzzles with precision and calm focus. Across the venue, participants shared lubrication tips, aligned inner layers, and traded warm-up routines while reconnecting with peers from across the region. The welcoming atmosphere set the tone for Big Cubes in Edneyville 2023, where seasoned solvers and newcomers spent May 28, 2023, comparing setups and supporting one another through every turn of the high-order puzzles on the schedule.

A tight-knit assembly of 33 competitors met in Edneyville, North Carolina, USA, for a specialized schedule featuring 9 rounds across three large twisty challenges. While standard speedcubing tournaments often center on classic Rubik's Cube 3x3 results, this single-day speed cubing gathering offered a dedicated arena for the intricate mechanics and endurance required by 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 cubes. Enthusiasts spent hours huddled over staging stations, testing hardware tensions and watching their fellow cubers navigate complex edge-pairing phases between rounds.

The standout athletic storyline of the weekend was the complete sweep orchestrated by Vishwa Sankar, who finished atop the podium in all three events. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Sankar delivered a commanding performance across three rounds to secure the title with an average of 55.45 seconds and a tournament-best single of 50.28 seconds. Katie Hull secured second place with an average of 57.30 seconds, while Kerry Creech followed closely behind in third position with an average of 58.12 seconds.

Sankar maintained that rhythm in the 6x6x6 Cube, recording a winning average of 1:32.94 and the event's top single time of 1:26.35. The race for the podium remained competitive throughout the final round, as Katie Hull claimed the silver step with an average of 1:42.91. Kerry Creech rounded out the podium placements in third place, finishing the round with an average of 1:50.06 to complete another strong showcase on the larger puzzle format.

The 7x7x7 Cube final concluded Sankar's triple crown at Big Cubes in Edneyville 2023, taking the top spot with an average of 2:34.32 and a best single solve of 2:28.16. Kerry Creech moved into second place in the largest puzzle on the roster, finishing with an average of 2:43.60. Katie Hull earned third place with an average of 2:49.49, ensuring that all nine podium spots across the entire competition were claimed by solvers from the USA.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the event served as a proving ground for several solvers pushing their personal boundaries on complex hardware. John Ludwick took on three events and achieved a massive personal best in the 5x5x5 Cube of 1:59.15, which was 54.4 percent faster than his previous best of 4:21.07, alongside first ever attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube at 5:09.23 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 7:19.84. Dagan Foreman entered two events and registered a first ever attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube of 2:40.47 and a first ever attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube of 5:34.25. Evan Bigby made a first ever attempt at the 7x7x7 Cube with a mark of 4:28.88 while setting a 6x6x6 Cube personal best of 2:41.82, dropping 13.9 percent from 3:07.99. Titus Henry logged a first ever attempt at the 6x6x6 Cube with 2:19.44 and posted a 7x7x7 Cube personal best of 3:29.52, improving 27.6 percent over his prior mark of 4:49.54.

Other competitors delivered equally impressive gains across the board. Isaiah Scott entered three events and took home personal bests across the entire slate, including a 4:28.31 single in the 7x7x7 Cube that was 18.9 percent faster than 5:30.67, a 2:54.54 single in the 6x6x6 Cube that improved 18.7 percent, and a 1:23.53 single in the 5x5x5 Cube that was 18.7 percent faster than 1:42.75. Arjun Mahesh took on two events and recorded a first ever attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube with a time of 3:35.65. Mayson Frye lowered their 7x7x7 Cube personal best by 30.5 percent down to 4:01.17 from 5:46.96, while Luke Chapman improved their 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 8.8 percent to 4:21.43 from 4:46.50.

The 2023 season in North Carolina continues to highlight the value of focused community events that celebrate both elite execution and personal growth. Whether tackling a seven-layer giant for the first time or setting refined averages on the main stage, solvers found steady encouragement from the sidelines throughout the day. Big Cubes in Edneyville 2023 demonstrated that the camaraderie shared between solving stations remains the heartbeat of any great WCA competition, leaving the local cubing competition community energized for future meets.