Try Cubing Saint Helens 2024

The morning light poured across the wooden floorboards of Portland Memorial Hall on March 24, 2024, illuminating rows of stacked timers and neatly arrayed plastic puzzles. A tight-knit contingent of solvers gathered in the coastal township to test their reflexes, fingers moving through warm-up algorithms before the clocks began recording official attempts. The atmosphere was focused and rhythmic, built on the familiar clicks of twisting mechanisms and the steady thud of hands coming down to stop the timers.

For seasoned competitors arriving in Saint Helens, Tasmania, Australia, the single-day meet provided an immediate platform to reassert their mastery at the tables. Experience consistently proved decisive across the five rounds of action. Leading the charge, Jode Brewster delivered a commanding clinic across every discipline on the schedule, capturing top honours in all three categories and establishing the benchmark for the entire weekend.

The classic Rubik's Cube brought twenty contenders together across two intense rounds of competition. When the 3x3 results were finalised, Brewster stood alone at the top of the podium with a winning average of 7.45 seconds and a blistering best single of 6.50 seconds. Henry Midson claimed the second step with a steady 11.03 average, while Thomas Pierroz rounded out the top three by posting a 13.05 average to represent Switzerland on the podium.

Brewster maintained that same relentless pace in the 2x2x2 Cube, turning in a winning average of 2.35 seconds alongside a meet-best single of 1.44 seconds across two rounds of play. Pierroz took the runner-up spot with a 3.93 average, edging out Midson, who secured third place on a 4.04 mark. Across the day, Australian athletes gathered seven total podium placings, while Switzerland earned two through the disciplined solving of Pierroz.

The turning mechanical axes of the Skewb rounded out the official programme, challenging eleven competitors in a fast-paced single round. Brewster once again secured first place, registering a winning average of 5.40 seconds and a sharp 3.96 single. Midson earned his third podium placement of the day by finishing second with a 9.18 average, while Oliver Clark collected third place on the strength of a 12.74 average.

Beyond the battle for podium spots, the event showcased remarkable personal breakthroughs across the roster. Brad Deegan produced a massive step forward in the Skewb, recording a personal best of 12.74 seconds, which was 53.7 percent faster than his prior mark of 27.50, on his way to sixth place, alongside a personal best of 6.43 in 2x2x2. Michelle Brewster entered three events and notched her first ever attempt at Skewb with a 13.71, finishing eighth. Willow Deegan advanced across three events, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.75, an improvement of 20.9 percent, and cutting their 3x3x3 Cube time by 16.4 percent to 15.81. Connor Cruse achieved an 18.5 percent reduction on their 3x3x3 benchmark with a 48.80, while Zac Chugg improved their 3x3x3 personal best to 22.17 seconds.

Fresh faces also embraced their first official WCA competition at Portland Memorial Hall. Lucas Willoughby tackled three events in his debut, securing tenth in 2x2x2 with a first mark of 5.95, while posting 36.88 in 3x3x3 and 28.65 in Skewb. Reuben Hetherington delivered a seventh-place finish in Skewb with an opening 14.77, adding initial marks of 36.81 in 3x3x3 and 13.70 in 2x2x2. Felicity Nudd took on three events as well, logging first attempts of 1:10.12 in 3x3x3, 16.61 in Skewb, and 13.16 in 2x2x2 to complete a rewarding series of official rounds.

The complete slate at Try Cubing Saint Helens 2024 underscored how high-level poise and personal dedication elevate regional speed cubing gatherings. Across three events, from the compact field to the veteran masterclasses, participants showed the depth of preparation required on the table. With the final puzzles scrambled and solved, Try Cubing Saint Helens 2024 concluded as a testament to the skill, focus, and enduring enthusiasm that defines the sport across Tasmania.

As the timers were packed away and the hall cleared, the twenty competitors departed Saint Helens with fresh benchmarks and new personal milestones. The day demonstrated the continued vitality of the speedcubing community in 2024, leaving athletes primed to carry their momentum forward into the next chapter of the cubing competition circuit.