Missouri Summer Kickoff 2024

Eighty-seven competitors gathered under one roof as the tables filled with puzzles of every dimension. The Missouri Summer Kickoff 2024 brought a bustling crowd to Springfield, Missouri, USA on May 26, 2024, converting the Glendalough Convention Center into a vibrant hub for the local speedcubing community. Beyond the ticking timers and sharp turns, the day was defined by the camaraderie that makes every WCA competition special, from competitors trading solving techniques between rounds to seasoned veterans helping first-time entrants navigate the staging area.

The one-day cubing competition packed ten full rounds across six distinct disciplines into a tight schedule. Solvers tackled everything from the lightning-fast 2x2x2 Cube to massive big cubes and blindfolded challenges. The environment allowed participants to test their skills in specialized side events while sharing their enthusiasm with fellow puzzle solvers. Across the hall, the sound of plastic clicking resonated continuously as friendships formed over scrambles, practice solves, and the mutual drive to beat personal milestones in this early 2024 gathering.

The classic 3x3x3 Cube drew an impressive field of 85 entrants across three competitive rounds. Aaron Huynh captured the overall victory, delivering a stunning 6.33 winning average in the final round to lead the 3x3 results, alongside the best single time of 6.11 seconds. Justin Barker earned the runner-up position on the podium with an 8.36 average, while Zachary Walden secured third place with a mark of 8.41. The event showcased high-level speed cubing on the traditional Rubik's Cube, giving the audience plenty to cheer for during the concluding heats.

Aaron Huynh also demonstrated remarkable focus in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, winning the event with a single solve of 1:35.10 among 17 competitors. Blindfolded solving requires complete memorisation of the puzzle state before donning a blindfold to execute the solution without visual cues. Sutton Barkley followed in second place with a time of 1:52.09, and Trenton Cuzick claimed the third step on the podium at 2:24.82. Huynh further added to his medal tally by finishing second in Skewb with a 5.24 average and third in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:10.35 average.

Behind the podium battles, the heart of the tournament beat strongest in the personal milestones achieved across all skill levels. Wyatt Benjamin Scrivner delivered massive breakthroughs at the Missouri Summer Kickoff 2024, cutting his 2x2x2 personal best by 78.1 percent down to 6.60 seconds, lowering his 3x3x3 best to 36.14 seconds, and completing his first ever official Skewb solve in 12.17 seconds. Levi Frost knocked 51.3 percent off his previous Skewb mark to hit a 7.34 personal best, alongside a 19.76 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Bentley Fuller dropped his Skewb personal best by 49.8 percent down to 5.03 seconds on the way to a 14th-place finish. Kyle Solomon tackled six events, recording a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:30.23, which was 49.5 percent faster than before, while also making his first ever official attempt at the 7x7x7 Cube in 6:49.72.

First-time experiences and versatile event schedules highlighted the depth of the roster. Joseph Wilkus logged his first ever 5x5x5 Cube solve with a time of 2:15.35, while trimming his Skewb record by 30.7 percent to 6.90 seconds and 3x3x3 to 13.34 seconds. Andrew Oswald Franz took on four events, completing his first ever official 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 3:38.18 and improving his 3x3x3 mark by 25.4 percent to 19.58 seconds. Antoine Yueyang Laforest-Jing set a 24.2 percent personal improvement on Skewb with 6.31 seconds and notched his first 5x5x5 Cube time of 2:23.55. Meanwhile, Asher Brizendine took on five events, registering his first ever attempts in both the 5x5x5 Cube at 4:29.53 and the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event at 4:21.98, while finishing eighth overall in the blindfolded standings.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw 78 competitors race through two rounds of blistering action. Justin Barker took the top prize with a winning average of 2.63 seconds and a best single solve of 1.82 seconds. Braxton Lee Fowler finished closely behind in second place with an average of 3.04 seconds, while Casey Ngo captured third with a mark of 3.13 seconds. The dynamic turns of the pocket cube provided non-stop energy throughout the morning session at the Missouri Summer Kickoff 2024.

In the larger puzzles, Casey Ngo claimed victory in the 5x5x5 Cube with a winning average of 1:04.24 and a best single of 54.37 seconds, finishing ahead of Zachary Walden at 1:06.33. Walden responded in the 7x7x7 Cube, capturing first place with a 3:08.80 average and a single of 3:04.09, while Ngo placed second with 3:22.16 and Sutton Barkley took third with 3:37.01. In the Skewb event, Nathan Smith came out on top over 58 competitors with a 4.74 winning average, besting Aaron Huynh and Sutton Barkley. Across all six events, United States competitors swept all 18 podium positions, closing out a memorable single-day showcase of community spirit and precise puzzle solving at the Missouri Summer Kickoff 2024.