Middleton Meetup Tuesday 2023

Inside the Lakeview Park Indoor Shelter, the focus was absolute as timers beeped and plastic faces snapped into alignment throughout a bustling single-day gathering. The Middleton, Wisconsin, USA venue served as the setting on December 19, 2023, where a tight-knit field of 17 competitors gathered to test their skills across 8 separate rounds. While official silverware and top rankings were up for grabs across 3 events, the defining narrative across the tables was one of personal breakthroughs, massive percentage drops on personal records, and first-time ventures into official solving disciplines.

The Middleton Meetup Tuesday 2023 delivered a fast-paced platform for speedcubing talent from across the region to gauge their growth before the year came to a close. In an environment built for efficiency and direct head-to-head racing, every entrant had ample opportunities to lower their career marks. Whether veterans with dozens of tournaments under their belts or newcomers handling their very first official solves, the competitive spirit inside the shelter remained focused on individual progression across each progressive round of play.

The spotlight shone brightest on the staggering progression seen throughout the field, where several competitors logged dramatic career drops. Charles F. Roller entered 3 events and produced a remarkable 2x2x2 Cube personal best single of 3.36 seconds, cutting 46.7 percent off his previous best mark of 6.30, while also logging a 10.04 single in his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube on his way to 6th place. Emerson Trumbull-Holper took on 2 events and delivered a 42.39 personal best single in the classic cube, 31.2 percent faster than their earlier 1:01.59 standard, along with a 15.67 mark in their first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube. Caleb Gamble made notable strides across 2 events, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube single by 44.1 percent down to 3.93 seconds and trimming his 3x3x3 Cube best to 11.68 seconds for an 8th-place finish. Wilder Mosley tackled 3 events, locking in 5th place in Skewb while improving his 2x2x2 single by 29.8 percent to 3.51 seconds and his 3x3 single by 12.3 percent to 17.93 seconds.

That same drive for personal development extended down the registration sheet as both experienced hands and first-timers made their marks on the scorecards. Aarush Peddapati shaved 13.4 percent off his previous standard in the 3x3x3 Cube to establish a new personal record of 34.47 seconds across his 2 events. Matthew McClain contested 3 events and achieved a sub-10 milestone with a 9.98 personal best single in 3x3x3 Cube, alongside a 3.80 personal best in the 2x2x2 Cube to earn 5th place in the main event. Andrew Penton took on 3 events in his first WCA competition, recording his first ever attempt at Skewb in 12.10, his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube in 16.22, and his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 5.25 seconds to secure an 8th-place finish. Cyrus Taylor also made this his first WCA competition, logging a 29.06 in his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube and a 1:22.10 in his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube.

At the front of the pack in the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, the 3x3 results saw Zeke Mackay produce a dominant display across three rounds of Rubik's Cube solving. Mackay secured the tournament victory with an exceptional winning average of 6.93 seconds in the final round, backed by a blistering best single of 5.77 seconds that stood as the fastest solve of the event. Carter Kucala took the second step on the podium with a strong average of 7.96 seconds, while Lucas Lippman-Bruno claimed third place with a finals average of 10.30 seconds against the 17-competitor field.

The 2x2x2 Cube competition saw another tight battle develop across three rounds of rapid-fire solving. Zeke Mackay completed a double victory at Middleton Meetup Tuesday 2023 by taking the top spot with a winning average of 1.89 seconds, edging out Carter Kucala who finished in second place with an average of 1.92 seconds. Mackay logged the fastest individual solve of the finals with a 1.69 single, while David Jiang secured third place on the podium with an average of 4.24 seconds among the 16 competitors who took part.

Skewb rounded out the roster of events with 11 competitors advancing through 2 rounds of turning. Carter Kucala captured the championship title with a winning average of 2.54 seconds and the round's best single of 1.74 seconds. Lucas Lippman-Bruno earned second place with an average of 3.27 seconds, while Zeke Mackay added to his medal haul by taking third place with a 3.88-second average, completing a clean sweep of podium positions for the USA delegation across all three disciplines.

The speed cubing action inside Lakeview Park Indoor Shelter demonstrated how much can be achieved in a focused single-day schedule. With 8 rounds completed cleanly and 9 podium spots awarded across the day, the cubing competition stood out as an ideal showcase of personal improvement and technical precision. As the 2023 calendar wound down, the competitors departed Middleton having set high personal benchmarks to carry forward into the next season of competitive solving.