North Woods 2023

Seventeen competitors tackled the blindfolded puzzle at North Woods 2023, where the razor-thin margin of error defined the stakes in Hayward, Wisconsin, USA. With three solving attempts allowed and every single solve demanding absolute mental precision without visual feedback, the event punished the slightest slip. Carter Kucala navigated the discipline to capture gold with a sharp 39.30 single, while an incomplete attempt pushed his average to a DNF. Zeke Mackay stayed composed to secure second place in 56.46 seconds, followed by Kaius Young taking third with 1:13.26.

The single-day cubing competition on September 30, 2023, brought together 66 speedcubing entrants across 8 events and 14 total rounds at the Flat Creek Hotel. While the three-attempt formats demanded relentless accuracy under pressure, the larger classic brackets saw Brian Johnson mount an exceptional campaign. Johnson claimed three separate event victories, proving consistently quick across vastly different puzzle types and solidifying his standing at the top of the regional leaderboards.

In the flagship Rubik's Cube division, 65 entrants fought across three distinct rounds of action. Brian Johnson earned the title by putting together a 6.79 winning average in the final round, highlighted by a blistering 5.92 single. Zeke Mackay applied pressure throughout the bracket, finishing second with a 7.09 average, while Carter Kucala reached the podium in third with a mark of 7.77. The 3x3 results capped a day of intense speed cubing at the tables.

Johnson extended his mastery to the 2x2x2 Cube, pacing a 62-person field with a winning average of 1.52 after throwing down a 1.39 single in the finals. Mackay took second with a 1.65 average, and Nathan Rahn earned third at 2.59. Johnson also captured top honors in Square-1, recording a 7.08 winning average and a 4.96 single across two rounds, besting Rahn in second at 7.73 and Mackay in third at 8.62.

The bigger puzzles delivered tight turnarounds and exciting finishes as Mackay took the victory in the 4x4x4 Cube. Delivering a single of 27.72 and an average of 30.91, Mackay held off Johnson, who took second in 31.12, and Kucala, who took third in 32.33. On the 5x5x5 Cube, Nathan Phillips captured first place with an average of 57.95, while Mackay took silver with 58.57 and Tyler Johnson collected bronze with 59.25.

Away from the podium battles, North Woods 2023 served as an important proving ground for emerging talent. Nathaniel Vizer lowered his Skewb personal best by 65.7 percent down to 6.24 seconds and logged a first official attempt at Square-1 with 26.30. Jacob Whitlock tackled seven events, slicing his 2x2x2 best by 61 percent to 1.56 seconds and trimming his 4x4x4 mark to 43.68. Carter Ferngren improved his Skewb mark by 52.9 percent to 7.58 seconds while recording a first Clock try of 22.69. Ben C. Coombe entered six events, lowering his 4x4x4 best by 39.1 percent to 40.57 and his 3x3x3 mark to 8.80.

First attempts across multiple disciplines highlighted the broader depth of the tournament. Graham Bill entered five events, cutting his 4x4x4 personal best by 25.9 percent to 57.70 seconds and recording a first Skewb solve of 16.57. Bennett Story tackled five events, earning an eighth-place finish in blindfolded solving with a first attempt of 6:00.91. Tucker Hanson took on five events at their first WCA competition, logging a 36.28 initial Square-1 solve, while Max Teynor also debuted across five events, posting a 21.67 first 3x3x3 time.

Simon Kellum claimed gold in Skewb with a winning average of 2.48, besting Kucala at 3.03 and Johnson at 3.51. In Clock, Kaius Young stood atop the podium with a 4.40 winning average, finishing ahead of Ukraine's Volodymyr Kapustianskyi at 4.85 and Kucala at 5.52. Across all eight categories at North Woods 2023, competitors produced high-caliber solves that set a strong benchmark for the upcoming regional season.