Very Awesome Mini-sota 2026

The tables inside the Burnhaven Library sat arranged for intense focus as competitors gathered for a packed day of solving. Sunlight filtered across rows of timers and stopwatches, where solvers laid out their gear, adjusted tensions, and prepared their mindsets. While the wider speedcubing discipline often celebrates the pen-and-paper quiet of Fewest Moves where solvers write out deliberate sequences stroke by stroke, this gathering in Burnsville, Minnesota, USA leaned entirely into physical agility and rapid turns across three distinct categories.

A tight roster of 23 competitors arrived on March 6, 2026, ready to tackle a combined five rounds of action. With no standard 3x3 results on the schedule, the focus shifted toward larger hardware and alternative geometries. The atmosphere inside the library balanced quiet concentration during inspections with brisk turning once the timers started, setting up a sharp test across the 5x5x5 Cube, Megaminx, and Skewb.

The 5x5x5 Cube brought high demands on hardware control and lookahead across two separate rounds featuring 21 entrants. Kaius Young took top honours in the final, recording an event-winning average of 54.27 seconds alongside a best single of 52.40. Carl Overbye secured second place with an average of 57.39, while James Ekins completed the podium in third place at 59.72 seconds, having also posted a sharp 53.56 single during the round.

In the twelve-sided Megaminx event, 21 solvers took to the tables for a direct final round. Tyler Robinson produced a dominant display, earning victory with an average of 36.58 seconds and the fastest single solve of the event at 35.57. Carl Overbye claimed the runner-up spot with a 39.90 average, while James Ekins earned his second podium finish of Very Awesome Mini-sota 2026 by taking third place with a mark of 45.20 seconds.

Tyler Robinson continued his winning form in the Skewb competition, which unfolded over two rounds with 21 competitors. Robinson captured the title with a tournament-best average of 3.05 seconds and a rapid single of 2.49. Carl Overbye finished second with an average of 3.82 seconds to complete a sweep of runner-up finishes across all three disciplines, while Boyd Mayfield placed third on the podium with a 4.16 average.

Beyond the championship podiums, the event delivered remarkable breakthroughs across the roster. Charles Tesch tackled three events, making a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a 2:50.75 single and a first ever attempt at Megaminx with 2:26.73, while cutting his Skewb personal best to 8.90 seconds, an improvement of 41 percent. Caleb Axvig made a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 5.84 single, logged a first Megaminx attempt at 1:42.27, and lowered his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 28.7 percent to 1:19.40. Zeke King shaved 41.4 percent off his Megaminx mark to record a personal best of 1:34.77, while Sparsh Wasake registered a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube at 4:22.89 and dropped his Megaminx personal best by 18.4 percent to 2:02.63.

More individual milestones emerged as the rounds progressed at Very Awesome Mini-sota 2026. Jonah Vilhauer improved his Megaminx personal best by 24.5 percent to 2:00.83 and his Skewb best to 4.48 seconds, which was 11.6 percent faster than before. Ryan Micke trimmed his Megaminx personal best by 22.1 percent down to 1:07.36, while Albert Wolkowitz registered a first ever attempt at Megaminx of 2:43.71 and improved his Skewb mark by 13.7 percent to 5.90. First-time WCA competition entrant Nick Stambook made a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 36.02 single, and Jacob Jackman completed his debut WCA competition appearance with a 2:41.26 single on 5x5x5 Cube.

The event highlighted the deep enthusiasm for speed cubing in the region, bringing technical mastery and dedicated practice to the forefront. Every entrant contributed to an engaging schedule that tested both large puzzles and fast corner-turning mechanisms. For everyone who traveled to Burnhaven Library, Very Awesome Mini-sota 2026 served as a memorable showcase of focused solving, personal milestones, and competitive spirit in the 2026 season.