Hilliard Hippocampus XVI - Chocolate Day 2024

Eight competitors gathered for a specialised blindfolded meeting that proved how closely knit the cubing competition circuit remains in 2024. Staged on October 28, 2024, in Hilliard, Ohio, USA, the single-day event brought together dedicated solvers at a private residence for Hilliard Hippocampus XVI - Chocolate Day 2024. With a tight roster focused entirely on memory disciplines, the gathering felt like a shared workshop where competitors traded tips, analyzed scrambles, and celebrated every successful attempt between official rounds.

The environment of an intimate speedcubing meetup offers a distinct contrast to sprawling arena tournaments. Rather than managing sprawling staging areas and loud vendor booths, the contenders in Hilliard, Ohio, USA enjoyed quiet conditions essential for rigorous memorization routines. Across three specialized rounds, participants tackled the complex challenges of blindfolded solving, relying on mental spatial mapping and muscle memory to complete each cube without visual feedback.

Mason Langenderfer delivered an exceptional performance across the schedule, sweeping the top spot on every podium. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, Langenderfer posted an outstanding winning average of 27.74 seconds alongside a best single solve of 25.84 seconds. Those looking at the 3x3 results will note that Langenderfer was the sole competitor in the field of eight to complete a full three-solve average, securing first place by a comfortable margin.

Behind Langenderfer in the standard Rubik's Cube blindfolded contest, Evan Brown secured second place with a clean single time of 57.97 seconds. Jason Vindvamara rounded out the podium positions in third place, registering a solid 1:10.12 single. Other successful single efforts during the round included David Miguel-Santiago at 1:24.03, Braden Richards at 1:26.10, Roger L. Goff at 2:15.43, and Daichi Halphen at 3:09.26.

The competitive action continued into the larger puzzles, where solving without sight demands an exponential increase in mental endurance and piece tracking. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Mason Langenderfer once again led the way, taking first place with a single solve of 2:49.11 among six entrants. Evan Brown claimed second place with a time of 6:28.93, while David Miguel-Santiago completed the podium in third with a registered time of 9:59.87.

Away from the top of the podium, several experienced community members reached notable individual milestones across the day. Daichi Halphen, taking on two events on the schedule, set a 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best of 3:09.26 while securing a 4th-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Roger L. Goff also tackled two events during the meet and matched that fourth-place finish in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded contest. Keenan Darkins took on the competitive 3x3x3 Blindfolded bracket as his lone event of the meet, earning an 8th-place result.

The challenging 5x5x5 Blindfolded discipline concluded the event card, testing four brave competitors on the highest-order puzzle of the day. Mason Langenderfer cemented a perfect sweep by recording the only successful solve of the round, logging a winning single mark of 7:10.63. Fellow podium finishers David Miguel-Santiago, Braden Richards, and Evan Brown each took home shared second-place honors after pushing their memory limits on the complex big cube.

Events like Hilliard Hippocampus XVI - Chocolate Day 2024 demonstrate the unique camaraderie underpinning the speed cubing world. With ten total podium finishes earned by United States competitors across the three rounds, the small WCA competition provided an ideal testing ground for blindfolded specialists sharpening their techniques for the broader season ahead.