Colorado Mountain Tour - Frisco 2024

Seventy-eight competitors gathered in the Rocky Mountains as Summit Middle School hosted Colorado Mountain Tour - Frisco 2024 on June 9, 2024. Across 14 rounds of action in six separate disciplines, the single-day event delivered intense regional rivalries, drawing top-tier speedcubing talent to Frisco, Colorado, USA. With podium spots contested fiercely across every bracket, the clash between elite contenders and hungry challengers set a blistering tone right from the opening solves of the morning.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 76 entrants across three stages of knockout rounds. The classic Rubik's Cube final pitted Tommy Cherry against Max Park in an electrifying showdown at the tables. Cherry secured the top step of the podium with a winning average of 6.71 seconds, highlighted by a best single solve of 6.31. Park finished narrowly behind in second place with an average of 6.88, while Jacob Nokes took third with an average of 7.57 to complete the podium.

Park struck back emphatically when the schedule turned to the 5x5x5 Cube, asserting dominance in the 47-competitor field. Delivering a winning single of 35.57 seconds, Park captured first place with an average of 37.23 across the single round of play. Nokes put up a stern defense to claim second place with a 52.03 average, holding off third-place finisher Brayden Wroten, who clocked a 57.10 average to cap a grueling contest on the big cubes.

Cherry was far from finished, mounting commanding campaigns across specialty puzzles to lead the medal tally for the weekend. In the Square-1 final, Cherry posted a winning average of 8.41 seconds and a best single of 7.26 to claim victory ahead of Nokes at 9.68 and Wroten at 10.26. Switching gears to 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where pure memorisation meets unyielding execution, Cherry captured his third gold of the meet with a winning single of 14.99 seconds, while Luke Meszar took second in 54.28 and Raymos Castillo finished third in 1:22.50.

The 2x2x2 Cube and Skewb divisions brought explosive pace and razor-thin margins to the stage. Nicolás Sánchez claimed the 2x2x2 Cube title, recording a 1.92 average to edge Wroten at 2.22 and Jude Doland at 2.26. In the Skewb final, Simon Kellum prevailed with a 3.52 average, fending off Liam Finn McCool Kelly at 4.37 and Wroten at 4.38. Speed cubing depth was on full display in the 2x2x2 qualifying rounds, where Cherry, Kellum, and Doland all registered swift single marks beneath the 1.50-second barrier.

Beyond the fight for trophies, Colorado Mountain Tour - Frisco 2024 served up major breakthroughs throughout the lower rounds of the bracket. Kaydin Echols shattered personal records, taking on four events and dropping their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 64.4 percent down to 6.53 seconds, while also making a first career attempt at Skewb in 21.13. Colton Schluter took on five events, registering a first attempt at Square-1 with 1:14.38 and another in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:10.36. Wyatt Miller logged a first attempt at Skewb in 8.83 seconds and took 28th in 2x2x2 Cube with a new personal best of 3.89, while Jacob Faulkner trimmed their Square-1 best by 27.9 percent to 1:18.92.

The momentum continued as Ethan French cut their 3x3x3 Cube best to 15.54 seconds alongside a first attempt at Square-1 in 59.70. Truman Clack tackled five events, recording a 15.1 percent improvement in Skewb to 5.77 seconds and a first attempt at Square-1 in 43.32. Seth Hammell brought a 27.9 percent improvement to Square-1 with a personal best of 38.48 seconds across six entered disciplines. Meanwhile, Camden Ladd embraced their first WCA competition by logging first-ever official attempts in three events, including a 44.99 in the 3x3x3 Cube, 14.81 in Skewb, and 8.45 in the 2x2x2 Cube.

With 18 podium positions awarded exclusively to United States competitors, the cubing competition highlighted the remarkable standard of play in the region. From the headline 3x3 results to the sprawling fields across auxiliary events, the gathering provided an intense showcase of skill. As the dust settled on Colorado Mountain Tour - Frisco 2024, the competitors packed up their gear, having tested their speed against the best in the high altitude of the Rockies.