Red Stick Spring 2024

56 competitors converged on the East Baton Rouge Parish Library on March 30, 2024, bringing together speedcubing talent from across the region and beyond. Many made significant journeys to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, including international solvers representing Japan and Korea who travelled considerable distances to take part. The single-day WCA competition delivered 9 full rounds of intense puzzle solving across 5 distinct events, drawing both seasoned tournament regulars and eager newcomers into a packed schedule of speed cubing action.

Teri McAcy established total command over the weekend proceedings, taking top honours across four separate disciplines. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, which brought all 56 participants through three rounds of competition, McAcy secured first place with an exceptional 7.69 winning average and logged the day's best single solve of 6.64. RJ Gohn earned the runner-up position with a 9.40 average, while Rowan Stough claimed third place with a 9.49 mark in the final 3x3 results.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event saw McAcy claim another decisive victory against a field of 30 competitors across two rounds. Delivering a winning average of 13.31 and the single fastest attempt of 10.35, McAcy finished comfortably ahead of the pack. Rowan Stough captured second place with a 16.75 average, while Swaroop Sharma locked in the third-place spot on the podium with a 19.34 average.

McAcy continued that winning form in the 2x2x2 Cube, topping a lineup of 53 competitors in a single fast-paced round. McAcy recorded the fastest winning average of 2.16 and the quickest single of 1.41. Rowan Stough took silver with a 2.30 average, while Alexander Laiche earned third place with a 3.04 average. The contest generated a flurry of fast marks, with Dylan Miller, Anthony Russo, Everett Flott, Ordway Persyn, Collin Cancienne, John S. Russell III, and Noah Green all posting strong single and average times throughout the round.

In the Pyraminx competition, McAcy secured a fourth title over 47 entrants across two rounds, averaging 3.72 with a best single solve of 2.84. Peyton Tumy followed closely behind to claim second place with a 3.86 average, while Seth Talbot secured third place with a 3.93 average. Peyton Tumy broke through to take the top step in Skewb, topping a field of 28 solvers with a winning average of 4.79 and a single of 4.27, edging out Ordway Persyn with 5.05 and RJ Gohn with 5.37.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their events. Ava Miller dropped her 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.47, improving by 59.2 percent, while also securing 26th place in the 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best of 15.69 and setting a Pyraminx personal best of 4.69. Eisuke Akiyama cut 52.8 percent off their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best with a 21.52 solve, made a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 4.01, and trimmed their 3x3x3 Cube mark to 14.39. Noah Thomas Hebert improved their Pyraminx best by 48.6 percent to 4.90 for a 9th-place finish, alongside a 46.56 personal best in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 8.00 in 2x2x2 Cube.

Aaron Pea took on three events, reducing their classic Rubik's Cube personal best by 36.2 percent to 11.73 while posting first ever attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.91 and Pyraminx at 10.98. Kason Taylor Hamblen entered five events, cutting 35.5 percent from their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to reach 3.84 for a 15th-place finish, alongside first attempts in Skewb at 11.20 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 57.80. Aaron Roberts lowered their 2x2x2 Cube best by 47.4 percent to 2.53, while Woodrow Gondron III and Damian Lee each completed their first WCA competition, with Gondron tackling four events and Lee contesting three.

The competitive program concluded with United States solvers earning all 15 available podium positions across the five scheduled events. Red Stick Spring 2024 demonstrated the enduring draw of regional tournaments, offering a stage where visiting solvers and local competitors gathered for high-level Rubik's Cube racing in Baton Rouge, setting a high standard for the competitive cubing competition calendar in 2024.