Saskatchewan Big Cubes 2024

Inside the Rosewood Park Alliance Church, the quiet focus of competition morning gave way to the sharp, rapid cadence of timers snapping down and plastic faces aligning in blur after blur. Competitors and spectators gathered in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on August 3, 2024, setting the stage for a concentrated single-day program. While the event schedule reached into the heaviest puzzles in the catalogue, the morning opened with the explosive quickness of the classic events, setting an energetic baseline across all tables.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest drew all 41 competitors present for two rounds of classic solving. Lucas Kuczaj proved unmatchable across the event, claiming victory with a 6.77 winning average in the final round alongside a day-best single of 6.16. Omar Ellabban secured second place with an average of 9.27, edging past Jonathan Petry, who took third on the podium with a 9.29 average. These decisive 3x3 results underlined Kuczaj as the weekend pacesetter on the standard Rubik's Cube.

Before the big puzzles took center stage, the 2x2x2 Cube delivered its own high-velocity spectacle across a 28-competitor field. Jonathan Petry took the title with a tournament-winning average of 3.44 and a best single of 2.40. Sam Edwards claimed the runner-up step on the podium with an average of 3.68 and a 2.52 single, while Griffin Clem secured third place with a 3.77 average and a 3.34 single, rounding out an all-Canadian sweep across the podium.

While the top steps went to familiar frontrunners, the broader field supplied remarkable milestones across every tier of the cubing competition. Steel Warren registered a massive leap on the 2x2x2 Cube, posting a personal best of 6.72 that improved on their previous mark by 76.9 percent, alongside a 38.46 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube and a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube at 3:28.81. Elliott McLeod also stepped up to new territory, recording a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 3:09.88, a first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 9.88, and a 3x3x3 personal best of 23.18, cutting 20.6 percent off their previous best.

Fresh faces and multi-event builders added depth to the Saskatchewan Big Cubes 2024 scoreboards. Bryan Dinh took part in their first WCA competition, entering four events and logging first attempts at 3x3x3 Cube with 15.40, 4x4x4 Cube with 55.32, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:13.26, while reaching a 10th-place best finish in the 4x4x4 Cube. Ashley Sheu notched an 8.04 personal best on 2x2x2 Cube, 48.9 percent faster than before, while Cooper Prouten achieved a 20.24 personal best on 3x3x3 Cube, cutting 31.3 percent. Henry Pham tackled their first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with 12.84, Carol Preece posted a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 1:07.06 for a 31.4 percent drop, and Donald Crone took on five events, registering first attempts at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:27.00, 6x6x6 Cube in 4:33.06, and 7x7x7 Cube in 7:13.59.

Beyond the short sprints, the large layers saw Omar Ellabban put on an absolute clinic across four consecutive divisions. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Ellabban won with an average of 29.46 and a best single of 22.33, besting Lucas Kuczaj at 31.88 and Griffin Clem at 34.34. Moving to the 5x5x5 Cube, Ellabban struck gold again with a 49.52 average and a 48.78 single, staying ahead of Kuczaj with 58.03 and Clem with 59.28.

The marathon events completed Ellabban clean sweep of the upper tiers. Over two rounds of 6x6x6 Cube, Ellabban earned first place with a 1:26.75 average, outpacing Griffin Clem with 1:47.89 and Lucas Kuczaj with 2:01.10. Ellabban then captured the 7x7x7 Cube title across two rounds with a 2:12.64 average and a 2:09.07 single, while Clem took second in 2:22.60 and Kuczaj took third in 2:44.79.

With 6 events, 9 rounds, and all 18 podium spots earned by Canadian solvers, Saskatchewan Big Cubes 2024 wrapped up as a comprehensive showcase of modern speed cubing skill. From the lightning turns of the 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 sprints to the tactical patience demanded by the 7x7x7 cubes, the gathering in Regina highlighted both top-flight mastery and grassroots ambition across the regional speedcubing community.