Centennial State Cube Off 2024

The competition hall at Aspen Ridge Preparatory School hummed with focused energy as 92 competitors settled into their stations with mats unrolled and timers primed. Solve stations across the venue filled quickly as participants calibrated their hardware, inspected puzzle alignments, and warmed up their hands before the opening calls. With 14 rounds scheduled across eight official disciplines, the gathering brought together speedcubing talent from across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond for a dense one-day schedule.

Staged in Erie, Colorado, USA, the Centennial State Cube Off 2024 provided an intense proving ground on December 14, 2024. Competitors tested themselves against top regional talent and international presence alike, battling for tenths of a second across short sprints and complex long-format challenges. The atmosphere remained competitive throughout the day as local rivals pushed each other round after round across the tables.

Brayden Wroten established command over the leaderboard, taking four individual titles in a dominant display. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, Wroten secured the top spot with a winning average of 7.08 seconds, backed by a single of 6.92 across three rounds. Jacob Nokes mounted a strong regional challenge to take second place with a 7.59 average, while Livia Kleiner took third at 8.83. The 3x3 results capped a fierce rivalry that played out across several puzzle categories.

The duel between Wroten and Nokes resurfaced in the 4x4x4 Cube, where Wroten took first place with an average of 28.90 and a best single of 25.93. Nokes finished in the runner-up spot with a 29.66 average, followed again by Kleiner in third at 31.26. In Skewb, Wroten claimed another victory with an average of 2.39 and a single of 1.74, holding off Kleiner who posted a 3.37 average for second and Raymos Castillo who took third with 4.69.

The lone international title went to Poland as Jakub Turczyk captured first place in Clock with an average of 3.69 and a single of 3.52, edging out Wroten in second at 4.82 and Kaemon Vita in third at 5.17. Meanwhile, Livia Kleiner claimed a well-earned victory in Pyraminx, logging a winning average of 2.81 and a single of 2.15 to best Vita at 2.98 and Reid James Sungy at 3.16. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Bryan B. Conrrado claimed the title with an average of 2.13 and a single of 1.59, narrowly beating Wroten at 2.17 and Vita at 2.28.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of the cubing competition showed in the breakthroughs achieved throughout the field. Ishaan Porob delivered a massive leap in Clock, posting a personal best of 30.53 seconds that improved upon his prior mark by 63.8 percent across six events. Evaan Chaudhary cut his Pyraminx mark down to 13.32 seconds, a 60.3 percent improvement, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube standard to 13.38 and his 2x2x2 to 5.48 across four events. Atticus Wilkinson made his first ever attempt at Skewb with a 39.37 while taking 34.7 percent off his 3x3x3 best down to 47.32.

Other competitors took on ambitious new event debuts at the venue. Zach Hyman tackled seven events, achieving a sixth-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded on his first ever attempt at the event in 13:11.00, alongside a 2x2x2 personal best of 2.07. Anaiah Carroll took 41st in 4x4x4 Cube, set a 2x2x2 personal best of 4.30, and registered first attempts in Clock at 25.88 and Pyraminx at 10.15. Bryson Kettl logged debuts in Skewb at 15.70 and Pyraminx at 8.48, while Matthew Mitchell debuted in Pyraminx at 30.93, Skewb at 28.43, and Clock at 36.67. Jameson Jensen posted first attempts in Clock at 18.42, Pyraminx at 8.63, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:18.86.

Memory-intensive events rounded out the day, requiring competitors to memorize piece configurations before solving without visual feedback. Wroten secured his fourth victory in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with an average of 7:01.07 and a single of 6:18.74, leading Castillo at 7:26.30 and Owl Carpenter at 11:59.00. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Luke Meszar, Castillo, and Wroten all registered did-not-finish results across their attempts in a tough test of endurance.

The Centennial State Cube Off 2024 wrapped up a high-paced day of speed cubing in Erie, leaving participants with notable personal milestones and hard-fought regional battles. Across 91 entrants in the largest brackets and dedicated specialists in the blindfolded disciplines, the gathering served as a strong finish to the 2024 calendar for the Rocky Mountain community at an official WCA competition.