Green Winter 2025

A total of 38 competitors gathered at Green Middle School for Green Winter 2025 on March 1, 2025, setting up a packed schedule of high-tempo solving. The single-day WCA competition brought five different puzzle formats to Uniontown, Ohio, USA, featuring nine fast-paced rounds of play across the board. Speedcubing enthusiasts arrived ready to test their agility in front of the timers, with the quickest solvers immediately trading sub-second advantages across multiple stages.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest stood at the center of the day, drawing the full lineup of 38 entrants through three distinct stages of cuts. Luke Garrett delivered the headline performance of the gathering by winning the classic Rubik's Cube with a scorching average of 6.22 seconds. Garrett left no doubt about his standard on the main stage, throwing down the single quickest solve of the entire day with a sharp 4.97 effort.

Pressure mounted throughout the three rounds of standard speed cubing, where margins at the top tightened dramatically. Jack Pfeifer secured second place in the 3x3 results by assembling a 6.74 average, while Dylan Cossin rounded out the podium spots with a solid 7.20 mark. Oliver Hettrich claimed the 11th spot overall, and newcomers made their presence felt early, including Long Ly finishing 16th and Lajcsi Brekovszký placing 17th in their debut rounds.

Beyond the classic three-layered challenge, Garrett extended his dominance to the intermediate cubes by capturing titles in both the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube. In the 30-player 4x4x4 bracket, Garrett posted a winning 25.23 average alongside a 21.30 best single, outlasting Cossin in second at 28.70 and Pfeifer in third at 29.03. Moving up to the 26-competitor 5x5x5 Cube, Garrett claimed another victory with a 44.55 average and a 40.74 single, finishing ahead of Pfeifer at 48.37 and Cossin at 53.10.

The larger puzzles showcased another fierce duel at the top as Jack Pfeifer stepped into the spotlight to sweep the biggest cubes on the schedule. In the single-round 6x6x6 Cube battle of 21 entrants, Pfeifer locked down the win with a 1:23.23 average and a best single of 1:18.90, staying clear of Garrett at 1:29.30 and Shuxiu Jiang at 2:00.13. Pfeifer then sealed the 7x7x7 Cube title across a 22-person field, clocking 2:03.30 on average with a 1:52.65 single, beating Garrett at 2:13.88 and Daniel Pavelich at 3:04.53.

Tucked inside the main bracket battles were several breakthrough milestones from athletes pushing past previous career benchmarks. Grant Tanski took on five separate events at the cubing competition, setting a 5x5x5 personal best of 1:39.60 to improve by 23.1 percent, while also logging his first ever attempts at 6x6x6 in 6:54.11 and 7x7x7 in 10:16.00. Callum FitzGerald entered five events as well, posting an 11.6 percent drop to a 54.21 4x4x4 personal best, a 4:25.03 first attempt on 6x6x6, and a 17th-place 6:07.86 debut attempt on 7x7x7. Jordan Halford completed five events, recording his first official tries at 6x6x6 in 4:58.17 and 7x7x7 in 7:31.16 along with a 2:28.37 5x5x5 personal best. Max Kropp tackled five events, achieving a 5x5x5 personal best of 1:25.86 that was 17.7 percent faster, a 6x6x6 best of 3:20.83, and a first ever 7x7x7 effort of 5:22.98 to finish 15th.

The surge of new marks continued across multiple disciplines and experience levels throughout the venue floor. Philip Schleich entered three events, logging a 57.90 in his first ever official attempt at 4x4x4 while trimming 9.2 percent off his 5x5x5 personal best with a 1:43.27. Sage Thompson took on five events and secured an 8th-place finish in 7x7x7, while resetting personal bests in 5x5x5 at 1:04.69, 6x6x6 at 2:12.06, and 3x3x3 at 10.23. Jude Grimminger entered five events, claiming 10th in 6x6x6 with a 2:42.96 personal best that improved by 10.2 percent, alongside a 4:16.41 in 7x7x7 and a 1:04.77 in 5x5x5. Dominic Burger tackled five events, cutting 8.7 percent off his 5x5x5 personal best to reach 1:48.98 while improving his 4x4x4 best to 58.54.

First-time competitors also made their presence felt from the morning rounds onward as they stepped up to official tables. Long Ly took part in two events during their first WCA competition, recording a 52.80 in their first ever 4x4x4 attempt and a 10.98 in their 3x3x3 debut. Jacob Slavin logged a 15.73 single in his initial 3x3x3 effort, Lajcsi Brekovszký turned in a 10.05 on his first 3x3x3 attempt, and Grace Conway posted a 33.85 in her opening solve.

When the final standings were verified, United States competitors collected 14 podium positions, with China earning one podium place to cap off the regional tally. From the rapid turns of the 3x3 finals to the marathon single-round showcases on the 7x7x7, Green Winter 2025 offered an expansive demonstration of speed and endurance. Competitors left Green Middle School with fresh records, lower personal marks, and momentum to carry into the rest of the 2025 calendar.