Spooky Mini-sota 2024

Eight competitors gathered on October 31, 2024, as the Southdale Library hosted a focused single-day speedcubing clash in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Despite the compact field, Spooky Mini-sota 2024 delivered high-calibre turn speeds across three distinct events. The action moved briskly through three total rounds of scheduled play, giving each entrant an immediate, high-stakes platform to showcase precision and composure under tournament conditions.

The fastest single solve of the entire program arrived in Square-1, which stood as the most agile event at the venue. Nathan Rahn controlled the round from his opening turns, registering a tournament-best single of 5.21 seconds on his way to an exceptional winning average of 7.56 seconds. The shape-shifting puzzle requires immense mechanical speed and calculation, and Rahn set a benchmark that remained untouched through the afternoon.

Chasing Rahn in the Square-1 final was Joseph Ong, who assembled a clean average of 8.88 seconds to lock up the second position on the podium. Shain Papalotl Longbehn earned third place with an average of 13.04 seconds, completing a podium sweep for the home contingent. While traditional Rubik's Cube categories often draw the largest crowds, this event demonstrated how specialist categories can dictate the tempo of an entire cubing competition.

Beyond the sprint-distance contest, the schedule extended to big cubes, where Tyler Johnson delivered an authoritative double victory. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Johnson secured the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 57.86 seconds, complemented by a lightning-fast single of 51.60. His consistency across all five solves kept him narrowly clear of the chasing pack during an intense round of 5x5x5 speed cubing.

Kaius Young pressed Johnson throughout the 5x5x5 Cube contest, finishing just tenths of a second behind with a runner-up average of 58.71 seconds alongside a best single solve of 52.93. Joseph Ong added another podium finish to his day by claiming third place with an average of 1:14.46 and a single of 1:06.71. Nathan Rahn also featured in the top half of the field, putting down a 1:24.80 average.

The 7x7x7 Cube tested stamina and lookahead, wrapping up the multi-layered program. Tyler Johnson again took command, recording the winning mark with an average of 2:40.31 and the day's best single solve of 2:30.12. Kaius Young collected another silver placement with an average of 3:14.29 and a single of 3:10.21, while Joseph Ong took third place with a 4:02.42 average and a 3:54.41 single.

Away from the top of the podium, several participants produced remarkable personal milestones that the final standings tend to overlook. Taber Siler achieved a sweep of personal bests, dropping his Square-1 single to 10.37 seconds to go 27.5 percent faster than his prior mark, while also cutting 10.8 percent on 7x7x7 Cube with a 4:12.15 and improving his 5x5x5 Cube single by 10.2 percent to 1:22.37. Jasmine Still took on her first ever attempt at Square-1, successfully logging a 2:11.11 result, and Andrew Tyberg contested all three events on the schedule, achieving his highest finish of the day with seventh place in 5x5x5 Cube.

The gathering served as a reminder that every WCA competition carries unique intensity regardless of competitor numbers. With 9 podium places earned across three challenging events, Spooky Mini-sota 2024 concluded a memorable Halloween meet in Minneapolis, setting the stage for the local speedcubing community as they look toward the upcoming tournament calendar.