Burley Summer 2024

Thirty-six competitors arrived at the Burley Inn Convention Center on May 11, 2024, bringing an energetic wave of newcomers to southern Idaho. Burley Summer 2024 served as a prime staging ground for both seasoned solvers and rising enthusiasts across 12 scheduled rounds. For several attendees, the gathering marked their very first official cubing competition, infusing the hall with the excitement of early tournament milestones. Across seven distinct disciplines, the single-day gathering provided an ideal platform to test new techniques and push past previous personal benchmarks.

The traditional 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube brought all 36 participants to the tables across three hard-fought stages. Canyon Pettitt set the standard early and maintained his advantage through to the final round, taking the victory with a 9.42 average and the fastest single solve of the event at 7.64 seconds. Corbin Rodriguez secured the runner-up spot with an average of 10.25 seconds, while Jack Martin took third place with an 11.30 average. These official 3x3 results highlighted the sharp technical execution required to stay atop a competitive field in Burley, Idaho, USA.

Pettitt did not stop with the main Rubik's Cube crown. He went on to secure a trio of event wins throughout the day, showcasing versatility in both big puzzles and specialty formats. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Pettitt claimed first place with an average of 40.00 seconds, finishing just ahead of Evan Beck, who registered a 40.68 average, while Rodriguez claimed another podium spot in third at 44.36 seconds. Pettitt also seized the top position in Clock with an average of 6.73 seconds, leaving Rodriguez in second at 9.80 seconds and Cade Beck in third with 12.87 seconds.

The 2x2x2 Cube tournament delivered one of the closest finishes of the entire weekend. Joshua Benson Williams earned the title with a winning average of 2.81 seconds, edging out Pettitt by a single hundredth of a second as Pettitt settled for second at 2.82 seconds. Rodriguez captured third place with an average of 2.90 seconds, rounding out a blistering final where the top three solvers finished within nine hundredths of a second of each other. The event also saw Williams record the best single solve of the round at 2.14 seconds.

In the specialty categories, Corbin Rodriguez stepped to the top of the podium in Pyraminx, delivering a 2.87 average and a best single time of 1.62 seconds to capture the title. Pettitt followed in second place with a 3.09 average, and Kanyon Lundell took third place with 5.45 seconds. Meanwhile, 3x3x3 Fewest Moves demanded pure efficiency over raw pace, with Cade Beck finding the shortest route to victory on a single of 33 moves, outperforming Williams at 35 moves and Rodriguez at 36 moves.

The blindfolded discipline presented its usual test of memory and execution, requiring competitors to memorize the puzzle state before donning a blindfold to complete the solve. Thomas Webb secured first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single time of 2:47.98. Damian Wilding followed in second position with a time of 3:19.52, while Corbin Rodriguez added another medal to his tally by placing third with a mark of 3:34.13.

Behind the top podium spots, several competitors delivered standout personal breakthroughs across the weekend program. Benjamin Huff set a notable personal best in Pyraminx with a mark of 17.25 seconds, showing a 70 percent improvement over his previous 57.50, and also recorded his first ever attempt in 2x2x2 Cube with an 18.53. Eli Fountain knocked 47.3 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best to reach 4.81 seconds, while Dawson Morrow lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best by 32.4 percent down to 26.18 seconds. Brendan Robinson entered six events, logging his first attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 49 moves and dropping his Clock best by 38.7 percent to 14.95 seconds.

Tournament debuts and broad event programs defined the day for several other participants making strides in official speed cubing. Cody Cheng took on four events, completing his first attempts in Pyraminx with an 8.11 and 4x4x4 Cube with a 40.38, earning a seventh-place finish in the 4x4x4. Robert G. Klusaw notched his first Clock attempt at 13.91 seconds to place 12th in the discipline, alongside a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 22.53 seconds. Morgan Whitten took on four events in their first WCA competition, recording a 5.14 in 2x2x2 Cube and a 7.40 in Pyraminx, while Hank Cheng also debuted across four events, finishing fourth in Clock with an 11.00 single.

With all 21 podium positions secured by competitors representing the United States, Burley Summer 2024 demonstrated both veteran consistency and new ambition in equal measure. The balance between experienced finalists and first-time tournament solvers made for an active day of speedcubing across all age groups and skill levels. As the 2024 season progresses, the results recorded in Burley offer a strong foundation for every solver preparing for their next test on the competitive circuit.