Coosa Cubing Clash 2024

Fifty-seven competitors gathered at The Venue at Coosa Landing on December 14, 2024, bringing high-energy speedcubing action to Gadsden, Alabama, USA. Coosa Cubing Clash 2024 featured ten rounds across five official events, offering both seasoned solvers and nervous newcomers an official stage to put their practice to the test. Stepping onto the floor at a registered WCA competition carries an unmistakable atmosphere, from the rhythmic tapping of timers to the focused silence before inspection.

For several participants, this cubing competition served as their very first entry into official speed cubing. Harlan Milster made an ambitious three-event debut, logging an initial mark of 46.16 seconds on the classic Rubik's Cube, along with 17.16 seconds on the 2x2x2 Cube and 17.32 seconds on the Pyraminx. Israel Gallant also opened an official profile, recording a 13.47 on the Pyraminx and a 48.11 on the standard puzzle, while Jennifer Dart registered a 24.26 single in her maiden 2x2x2 Cube round and a 1:20.37 on the 3x3x3 Cube.

David Kim stepped up for his debut weekend as well, entering two disciplines and recording a 37.04 single in the 3x3x3 Cube before placing 40th in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 2:49.04 mark. Across the floor, other solvers used the venue to try events they had never contested before. Zachariah Smith took on four disciplines, logging a maiden Pyraminx single of 17.80 and a first 4x4x4 Cube mark of 2:08.94 while finishing 39th in the big cube event.

The progress made deeper in the brackets was just as remarkable. Nora X. Crawford entered five disciplines, securing a best finish of 27th in the 4x4x4 Cube, attempting the Pyraminx with an 8.73 and Clock with a 27.22, while taking their 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 4.16 seconds, which was 49.9 percent faster than their previous best. Jameson Carter registered a 50.57 on their first Clock attempt and cut their Pyraminx best to 6.73 seconds, a 52.1 percent improvement, while also lowering their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 49.9 percent to 14.60 seconds.

Other multi-event entrants delivered massive personal milestones throughout the day. Hudson Fraser competed in five disciplines, finishing 20th in Clock and setting new personal bests across the board: a 2.99 on 2x2x2 Cube that was 48.9 percent faster, a 10.60 on Clock that was 41.7 percent faster, and a 1:36.20 on 4x4x4 Cube that improved by 20.9 percent. Jordan Cape tackled five disciplines, earning a 5th-place finish in Clock and recording a 1.05 single on the 2x2x2 Cube for a 42.6 percent drop from their prior standard.

At the top of the standings, Caleb Chen put on a dominant display, claiming three separate event victories. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Chen topped the field of 54 competitors with an average of 1.27 seconds in the final round, having posted the fastest single of the tournament at 0.65 seconds. Nicolás Sánchez took second place with a 1.66 average, and Rowan Stough secured third place on the podium with an average of 2.07 seconds.

The premier event delivered thrilling 3x3 results across three competitive rounds with 57 participants. Caleb Chen took the title with a 6.10 winning average and a 5.22 best single. Nicolás Sánchez finished as runner-up with an average of 6.85 seconds, while Rowan Stough earned third place with a 7.79 average. The same trio showed remarkable consistency at the front of the pack across multiple puzzle categories throughout the tournament.

The other events provided plenty of excitement at Coosa Cubing Clash 2024. Nicolás Sánchez captured first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 27.44 seconds and a single of 25.66 seconds, ahead of Katie Hull in second with 31.11 and Jared Stinson in third with 33.14. Keon Wilson won the Pyraminx final with a 1.97 average, while Caleb Chen secured his third victory in Clock with a 4.03 average, rounding out a memorable 2024 contest in Gadsden.