LA Summer Side Events 2025

Inside the quiet rooms of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the familiar atmosphere of competitive speedcubing took over the tables on June 7, 2025. Rows of timers, score sheets, and carefully aligned puzzles welcomed competitors ready for a specialized slate of challenges. Rather than focusing solely on the standard Rubik's Cube, this single-day WCA competition brought together a dedicated field of 15 competitors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, to test their mastery across six distinct specialty disciplines.

The most dramatic contest of the entire gathering unfolded on the tables during the 7x7x7 Cube round, where the podium race came down to an astonishingly thin fraction of a second. Teri McAcy secured the victory with a commanding average of 2:51.52, but the battle immediately behind was separated by the narrowest of margins. Nate Hunter clinched the second-place step with a 3:36.00 average, edging out Ordway Persyn by just fifteen hundredths of a second as Persyn recorded a 3:36.15 average.

That razor-thin duel in the big cubes set the tone for an intense day of competition at LA Summer Side Events 2025. McAcy proved unbeatable in the larger formats across the board, pairing the big cube win with another first-place finish in the 6x6x6 Cube. There, McAcy posted a winning average of 1:43.73 along with a single solve of 1:39.06, outpacing Benjamin Christie who finished second at 2:06.42 and Persyn who claimed third in 2:14.28.

While big cubes delivered raw speed and endurance, Benjamin Christie emerged as a double winner by demonstrating remarkable analytical skill in two of the most mentally taxing events. Christie topped the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest with a winning average of 31.00 and a best single of 27 moves, finishing ahead of Gunner Engelsman at 34.00 and RJ Gohn at 40.00. Christie followed that performance with a triumph in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a winning average of 2:01.90 and a best single of 1:54.39, while Persyn earned second with a single of 2:12.64.

In the specialized speed events, John S. Russell III set the standard on Clock with a blistering winning average of 4.48 and a single of 4.06. Russell held off Engelsman, who took second with a 5.05 average, and Cooper Landry, who finished third with 10.16. Engelsman quickly found his own top spot on the podium in Square-1, averaging 10.99 with an 8.88 single to take the win over Gohn and Seth Talbot, rounding out the diverse 3x3 results and side event disciplines featured at LA Summer Side Events 2025.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the score sheets were filled with personal milestones and bold new steps from dedicated solvers. Bradley Parker entered three events and delivered a noticeable improvement in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, setting a personal best single of 68 moves, which was 5.6 percent faster than his prior best of 72, while also completing his first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a result of 9:34.90. Peyton Tumy took on five separate events and secured a 4.7 percent improvement with a 41 single in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, alongside a 4.1 percent drop to a 4:36.26 personal best in 6x6x6 Cube.

New ventures and fresh debuts added tremendous depth to the weekend. Jeremy Falanga tackled three events and logged his first ever attempts in two disciplines, posting a 57.60 in Square-1 for a 10th-place finish and 7:50.92 in 6x6x6 Cube. Rhys Daniel Henson attended their first WCA competition, making an immediate mark by finishing 10th in 7x7x7 Cube. Shawn Parker focused efforts on Clock, taking on the challenge to earn a best finish of 9th place in the event.

Every round across the schedule contributed to an energetic display of speed cubing, showcasing both veteran precision and ambitious newcomers trying fresh formats. With all 20 podium positions claimed by competitors from the USA, the event stood as a true celebration of community and technical skill in Louisiana. As the equipment was packed away at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, LA Summer Side Events 2025 concluded having delivered remarkable drama across every turn.