Colorado Waffle Jostle 2023

Twenty-nine competitors stepped forward to wrestle with the grueling 7x7x7 Cube at the Embassy Suites in Denver, Colorado, USA, setting the stage for a day packed with high-order puzzle mastery. The Colorado Waffle Jostle 2023 delivered a focused schedule of six events and 12 rounds on April 29, 2023. While traditional speedcubing tournaments often keep the spotlight on standard puzzles, this gathering leaned hard into extended solve times and stamina-testing formats, drawing 67 competitors together for an intense single-day showdown.

The 7x7x7 Cube final proved to be a decisive showcase for Jacob Nokes, who captured the title with a winning average of 2:28.21 and a best single of 2:26.29. Paul Mahvi followed closely behind in second place with a mark of 2:36.13, while Jack Bellomy locked down third on the podium with a 2:43.19 average. The massive layers and delicate alignment demands of the 7x7x7 Cube pushed each finalist to their mechanical limits, rewarding steady pacing and deep endurance over sheer burst speed.

The 6x6x6 Cube brought similar heavy-puzzle drama across its single round of 30 competitors. Jacob Nokes again led the charge, securing first place with an average of 1:39.00 and an event-best single of 1:35.87. Paul Mahvi collected another runner-up finish with an average of 1:41.19, and Jack Bellomy took third place with a 1:49.39 average. The pairing of the two biggest events set a tone of technical mastery that echoed throughout the Embassy Suites ballroom all afternoon.

Adding to the demanding slate of specialty disciplines was 3x3x3 One-Handed, where 46 entrants tackled the challenge of single-arm execution. Brayden Wroten claimed top honors with a tournament-winning average of 14.12, highlighted by an event-best single of 13.20. Paul Mahvi earned second place with an average of 15.38, edging out Oliver Michael Sitja Sichel who took third place at 15.40. Controlling turns, orientations, and grips with only one hand provided a sharp contrast to the two-handed power solving on display in the larger cube brackets.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers posted landmark achievements across the schedule. Rowan Keller delivered one of the most striking breakthroughs of the tournament, taking on six events and dropping their 5x5x5 Cube personal best to 1:29.58, an improvement of 57.5 percent over their prior mark of 3:30.99, alongside a 13.2 percent improvement to 42.96 in the 4x4x4 Cube and a 20.93 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Tyler Sellin also tackled all six events, logging a 12th place finish in 7x7x7 Cube with a first-ever attempt of 4:31.38, an official debut in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:30.01, and a 17.4 percent personal best drop in 4x4x4 Cube to 44.54. Dakota Logan took on six events as well, posting a 24th place finish in 7x7x7 Cube while logging official debuts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:27.47, 5x5x5 Cube at 2:29.06, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 58.30. Gram Konecky contested three events, setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 11.16, which was 15.8 percent faster than their previous mark, while making debuts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:13.72 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 26.70.

The personal milestones continued across the ranks as competitors broadened their event portfolios. Noah Schreiber entered three events, cutting their 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 29.5 percent down to 1:51.14, trimming their 3x3x3 Cube mark to 24.60, and making an official debut in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:09.44. Carter Maples lowered their 3x3x3 Cube best by 28.2 percent to 22.27 and recorded a first official 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt of 1:27.02 across two events. Gary Meraz made their first official appearance at a WCA competition, recording initial marks of 31.39 in the 3x3x3 Cube, 1:07.57 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 4:56.44 in the 5x5x5 Cube. Ashten H. West also made their first competition appearance, setting marks of 25.51 in the 3x3x3 Cube and 1:25.10 in 3x3x3 One-Handed across two events entered.

Mid-sized cubes offered plenty of excitement as well, beginning with a fiercely contested 4x4x4 Cube bracket. Paul Mahvi earned the victory in the final with an average of 26.16 and the fastest single of the round at 24.59. Jacob Nokes secured second place with a 28.85 average, and Brayden Wroten placed third with a mark of 33.05. The 5x5x5 Cube saw Jacob Nokes return to the top step with a winning average of 50.15 and a single of 47.70, followed by Paul Mahvi in second at 56.83 and Brayden Wroten in third at 57.92.

The classic Rubik's Cube drew the full field of 67 entrants across three complete rounds, yielding dramatic 3x3 results in the final round of the day. Jacob Nokes completed a four-gold haul by winning the 3x3x3 Cube title with an average of 6.96, while also turning in the fastest single of the competition at 5.61. Oliver Michael Sitja Sichel pushed the leader right to the wire, taking second place with an average of 7.06. Brayden Wroten rounded out the podium in third place at 8.12.

Across all six events, competitors representing the USA claimed all 18 podium positions in an energetic display of speed cubing excellence. From high-order puzzle specialists managing multi-minute marathons to one-handed practitioners shaving down fractions of a second, the cubing competition celebrated versatility across the board. The Colorado Waffle Jostle 2023 wrapped up an action-packed day in Denver, leaving solvers ready to carry their progress forward into the remainder of the 2023 season.