Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2024

Four victories from four big cube finals established Griffin Clem as the dominant competitor across the weekend schedule. The Gold Bar Community League in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada hosted Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2024 on May 25 and May 26, bringing together 63 competitors over 12 rounds of intense action across 6 distinct events. Clem set an unrelenting pace on the larger puzzles, securing decisive wins in every format from the 4x4x4 Cube through the 7x7x7 Cube. His run shaped the tone of the entire cubing competition, putting pressure on the rest of the field in every round of the larger events.

The competition opened avenues for high-stakes racing across both classic formats and expanded hardware. Kyle Santucci stood out as the other major champion of the weekend, capturing the remaining two events on the roster. Santucci earned top honours in the premier 3x3x3 Cube and also locked up the top spot on the podium in the 2x2x2 Cube. Together, Clem and Santucci collected all six championship titles available at the meet, turning the two-day gathering into a showcase of focused execution at the solving tables.

In the big cube finals, Clem methodically separated himself from the pack. He took the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 34.57 and a best single of 33.48, holding off Benjamin Ragan who finished in second with 36.26 while Santucci placed third at 37.15. Moving up in puzzle size, Clem controlled the 5x5x5 Cube final by recording a winning average of 54.77 and a best single of 51.69. Ragan took second place with 1:02.49, while Andriy Peleshchyshyn rounded out the podium in third with an average of 1:08.78.

The marathon formats offered no relief for Clem competitors as he completed his sweep on the upper tables. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Clem delivered a winning average of 1:54.42 alongside a single of 1:51.92, while Ragan finished runner-up at 2:01.82 and Peleshchyshyn earned bronze in 2:12.59. The 7x7x7 Cube concluded with another authoritative victory for Clem, posting an average of 2:25.84 and a single of 2:22.28. Peleshchyshyn took second place with a mark of 2:47.20, and Ragan secured third with 2:57.10 to finish a demanding schedule.

Short-format speedcubing belonged entirely to Santucci, who led the way through both rounds of the traditional Rubik's Cube. The 3x3 results confirmed his authority in the main event, where Santucci posted a winning average of 6.49 and a best single of 5.90. Azaro Gorloo finished second with an average of 8.57, and Leif Anvik secured third with 9.44. Santucci repeated his winning formula in the 2x2x2 Cube, posting a winning average of 2.81 and a single of 2.44, edging out Ragan with 3.78 and Gorloo with 3.81 on the podium.

Beyond the trophy races, the competitive floor at Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2024 served as a launchpad for major personal milestones. Cache Adams generated massive progress, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 2.39 to go 42.1 percent faster than his prior standard, while also cutting his 4x4x4 Cube best to 1:09.77, a 35.2 percent improvement. Cooper Kurata took on six events, logging his first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 3:02.24 and 7x7x7 Cube in 5:05.48, while slashing his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to 43.58 to finish 40.1 percent faster. Talia Generoux-Machado recorded a first attempt in 4x4x4 Cube at 3:00.94 and trimmed her 2x2x2 Cube best to 5.17, which was 34.3 percent faster. Saul Abraham competed across six disciplines, finishing 11th in the 2x2x2 Cube while posting first attempts in the 5x5x5 Cube at 1:51.13, the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:50.56, and the 7x7x7 Cube at 6:30.86.

The depth of personal milestones continued as athletes expanded their repertoires across the weekend. Tanya Rathie registered a first ever attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube at 4:10.63 and dropped her 4x4x4 Cube mark by 34.2 percent to 1:21.69. Todd Rathie similarly completed a first attempt in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:48.63 while lowering his 4x4x4 Cube best by 34.1 percent to 1:38.13. Niels Nijstad entered six events, logging a first ever attempt in 7x7x7 Cube at 7:30.07 while speeding up his 6x6x6 Cube mark by 31.7 percent to 4:42.16. First-time competitor Ethan Lam debuted at the official level across four events, logging his first attempts at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:22.94, 4x4x4 Cube in 1:14.26, and 2x2x2 Cube in 4.87.

Canadian competitors collected all 18 podium positions across the tournament, reflecting the strong regional speed cubing community in Edmonton. With clean operations across 12 scheduled rounds, the WCA competition highlighted both the high standard of top-tier solving and the broad participation across all age and skill levels in 2024. As the final results were entered into the official books, Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2024 demonstrated how dedicated preparation leads to podium sweeps and significant individual breakthroughs on the competition stage.