Sheridan Stampede 2024

Inside the halls of Calvary Baptist Church, the focused rhythm of turning plastic and dropping timers set the tone for an intense day of solving. While mental disciplines like the Fewest Moves challenge rely on quiet reflection, paper, and pencil to map out the shortest route across sixty minutes, speedcubing brings pure velocity to the table. Competitors at the tables worked against the clock across multiple rounds, shifting from calculated analysis to lightning-fast execution on April 6, 2024.

The one-day WCA competition brought together 33 competitors in Sheridan, Wyoming, USA, tackling a schedule spanning seven distinct events and 13 rounds. Across the tables, participants took on traditional puzzles as well as non-standard hardware. The vibrant atmosphere at Sheridan Stampede 2024 showed the full range of speed cubing, where technical mastery must instantly match the physical pressure of the inspection countdown.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a field of 32 competitors through three rounds of action. When the final 3x3 results were confirmed, Braik Hurm secured first place with a winning average of 8.86 seconds, alongside the event's best single of 8.21 seconds. Ryan Schock followed in second place with an average of 9.37 seconds, while Miles Walcott earned third with a mark of 9.54 seconds, rounding out a tight podium for the classic Rubik's Cube.

Raymos Castillo captured two gold medals over the course of the schedule, showcasing versatility across completely different mechanics. Castillo topped a 20-person field in Megaminx with a winning average of 53.63 seconds and a best single of 51.76 seconds, finishing ahead of Elizabeth Cutting at 1:05.83 and Ben Tibbetts at 1:08.29. Castillo returned to the top step in Skewb, recording an average of 4.76 seconds to outpace Tibbetts at 5.19 seconds and Miles Walcott at 5.69 seconds.

In the Pyraminx event, Kian Cline took first place with a 5.57 second average and a sharp 2.39 single across two rounds, narrowly leading Ryan Schock at 5.97 seconds and Miles Walcott at 5.99 seconds. Clock proved equally dramatic, as Ben Tibbetts delivered a winning average of 5.45 seconds and a single of 3.83 seconds, besting Cline at 7.27 seconds and Elizabeth Cutting at 9.29 seconds. Ryan Schock then earned a victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 17.42 seconds.

Beyond the top podium spots, several competitors achieved major milestones throughout the day. Chris Ackerman delivered a massive improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a personal best of 1:24.47 that was 41.6 percent faster than their previous mark, alongside a first attempt at the 2x2x2 Cube with a time of 31.35 seconds. Leonidas Vladimir Vaughn Holloman cut substantial time in Clock with a personal best of 13.94 seconds, shaving 31.7 percent off their previous best, and finished 12th in Skewb. Dakotah Shinn took on seven events and earned an eighth-place finish in Pyraminx while lowering their personal best in the 2x2x2 Cube to 2.58 seconds, an improvement of 30.6 percent.

Other solvers expanded their repertoire with strong personal records and new event debuts. Dakota Heitkemper recorded a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.90 seconds, improving by 29.6 percent, and completed a first career attempt at Skewb in 16.43 seconds. Reagan Courbron dropped their 2x2x2 Cube best to 2.47 seconds, representing a 35.5 percent improvement, and placed seventh in Skewb. Trenton Dell registered a 3x3x3 Cube best of 16.37 seconds, a 23.4 percent leap, alongside initial attempts in Clock and 3x3x3 One-Handed. Teyvin Koehler took on six events, setting a Megaminx mark of 3:08.12, while Austin Sears lowered their Skewb best to 6.58 seconds, an improvement of 21.4 percent.

The 2x2x2 Cube contest proved exceptionally fast across two rounds for 32 competitors. Miles Walcott earned the victory with an average of 2.49 seconds and a best single of 1.56 seconds. Tye Gorder took second place with an average of 2.79 seconds, and Kian Cline took third at 2.91 seconds. All 21 podium places across the weekend were claimed by competitors representing the USA, marking an impressive regional showcase.

As the final timers were packed away, Sheridan Stampede 2024 concluded a dense day of high-level solving. From the methodical pacing required to navigate complex scrambles to the sheer mechanical speed on display in short-format finals, the gathering in Sheridan highlighted the depth of talent on the regional circuit as competitors look ahead to the next season of play.