Minnesota Leap Day 2024

Inside the Southdale Library in Edina, Minnesota, USA, the distinctive clatter of turning plastic echoed off the walls as competitors settled into their stations for a rare date on the calendar. Journeying across the state and the wider region to seize the extra day of the 2024 leap year, 18 speedcubing enthusiasts gathered for a compact, intense meet on February 29, 2024. Puzzles were unbagged, timers set, and lubrication checked as participants prepared to tackle a specialised slate of heavy hardware and high-focus disciplines.

The journey was well worth the effort for those seeking a focused WCA competition on a weekday. Minnesota Leap Day 2024 featured four distinct disciplines structured across five total rounds. Rather than standard sprints, the schedule leaned into large cubes and specialised formats, drawing competitors who travelled specifically to test their endurance on the biggest mechanisms and their focus on blindfolded execution.

Large cubes took centre stage early in the day, with Nathan Phillips establishing absolute dominance on the upper tiers of standard twisty puzzles. In the 6x6x6 Cube event, Phillips led a field of 15 competitors, posting the single best solve of 1:32.72 and securing the victory with a winning average of 1:35.82. Tyler Johnson finished as the runner-up with an average of 1:45.22, while Joseph Ong claimed third place on the podium with a mark of 2:15.54.

Phillips carried that momentum straight into the 7x7x7 Cube contest, completing a commanding sweep of the big puzzles. Navigating the dense layers across a single round of 14 solvers, Phillips delivered a winning average of 2:24.84, anchored by a best single of 2:13.55. Johnson took second place once more with an average of 2:31.99, and Oliver Phillips earned third position with a result of 3:33.23 in the longest standard puzzle format of the meet.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial breakthroughs that highlighted the depth of the gathering. Carl Overbye tackled three events and shaved significant time off previous marks, securing a 6x6x6 Cube personal best average of 2:16.52, which was 11.6 percent faster than their previous best, alongside a fourth-place event finish and a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube resulting in 4:29.28. Andrew Tyberg entered two events and advanced their 6x6x6 Cube personal best to 3:35.46, an improvement of 5.3 percent over their previous best, while also finishing 11th in the 7x7x7 Cube.

Fresh milestones also emerged across the tables as others ventured into new events for the first time. Taber Siler made their first WCA competition appearance, taking on three events, achieving a best finish of 12th in the 7x7x7 Cube, and registering debut marks of 35.84 in Square-1, 3:41.84 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 5:53.41 in 7x7x7 Cube. Lucian Yantes entered three disciplines and logged a best finish of 13th in 6x6x6 Cube, posting first-ever official marks of 38.48 in Square-1, 3:47.21 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 7:53.88 in 7x7x7 Cube. Hannah Phillips also stepped up for a first-ever attempt at Square-1, successfully logging a time of 2:40.38.

Square-1 action provided high-speed complexity across two full rounds of competition for 16 entrants. Nathan Rahn delivered the standout performance of the event, winning the final with an average of 7.81 seconds and notching the single fastest solve at 6.74 seconds. Joseph Ong followed closely behind in second place with an average of 8.31 seconds, while Shain Papalotl Longbehn locked up the third podium spot with an average of 11.66 seconds.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded round concluded the program with pure suspense, requiring competitors to memorise the puzzle before donning blindfolds to execute the solve. Andy Wong achieved the standout success in the event, posting a single winning time of 21.08 seconds among nine contenders. Joseph Ong was the only other solver to register a successful attempt, finishing second with a single of 3:45.22 in an event where every other entrant recorded a DNF.

With all podium places earned by competitors representing the USA, the unique cubing competition closed having delivered memorable speed cubing across four demanding events. While standard 3x3 results and the classic Rubik's Cube were absent from the lineup, the big cubes and specialised rounds offered an intense test for everyone who made the trip. As timers were packed away at the Southdale Library, Minnesota Leap Day 2024 concluded as a memorable showcase of skill and commitment on a rare day on the calendar.