Very Mini-sota 2024

Inside the quiet halls of the Southdale Library in Edina, Minnesota, USA, the tables were arranged for a focused day of puzzle solving on May 9, 2024. Stopwatches and timers rested on the mats as a small field of competitors prepared for an intensive single-day schedule. The atmosphere was charged with concentration, contrasting the usual bustling environment of larger meets with the intimacy of a specialised gathering.

Very Mini-sota 2024 brought together 12 dedicated competitors to test their skills across three distinct events. Rather than hosting an expansive array of rounds, the tournament offered direct, single-round shootouts where every solve carried immediate weight. Enthusiasts following the wider cubing competition circuit saw an event that rewarded consistency and nerve across memory-intensive disciplines and larger puzzles.

The 5x5x5 Cube event highlighted the day with strong execution from the start. Kaius Young claimed victory with a winning average of 55.08 seconds, backed by a best single of 51.49 seconds. Walker Welch secured the second spot on the podium with a 1:05.75 average, while Andy Wong took third place with a mark of 1:16.99. The event drew 10 competitors, testing stamina and mechanical precision on the five-layer puzzle.

Blindfolded solving, a discipline requiring pure memorisation and flawless spatial awareness, featured heavily on the schedule. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, Andy Wong earned first place with a rapid best single solve of 18.85 seconds. Kaius Young followed in second position with a single of 54.43 seconds, and Walker Welch finished third at 1:30.61. Although winning averages went unrecorded due to incomplete series across the board, the single-solve results set a high standard.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event rounded out the podium contests, demanding immense mental discipline. Walker Welch took the victory by successfully solving 8 out of 9 cubes in a time of 51:52. Kaius Young claimed second place with a score of 5/6 in 32:29, while Andy Wong placed third after completing 2 out of 3 cubes in 4:16. Across all three events at Very Mini-sota 2024, the United States accounted for all 9 podium placements.

Beyond the top podium steps, the heart of the meet belonged to personal progression and milestone attempts. Andrew Surine produced a standout breakthrough in the 5x5x5 Cube, clocking a personal best average of 1:58.21, which shaved 10.3 percent off his previous benchmark of 2:11.75 while also securing a 4th-place result in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Taking on new disciplines for the first time was a major theme of the day. Jonah Boisclair logged his first ever official attempt at the 5x5x5 Cube to finish 6th with a 1:28.13 mark. Lucian Yantes embraced a heavy schedule across 3 events, registering first-ever official attempts in both the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:02.93 and 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 4:14.36, alongside a 4th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind.

Other competitors also left their mark through individual achievements and debuts across the schedule. Lisa Kucala tackled her first ever attempt at the 5x5x5 Cube, finishing 10th with a time of 4:33.87. Amanda Sugiharto ventured into blindfolded solving for the first time, logging an initial official 3x3x3 Blindfolded single of 3:33.64 for 5th place. Brody Meschke earned a best finish of 4th in the 5x5x5 Cube, while Faith Moore took 6th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 4:06.34 single. Andrew Tyberg added to the depth of the field by earning 7th place in the 5x5x5 Cube, and Shain Papalotl Longbehn competed across 3 events, securing a 4th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind.

With 12 competitors and 3 events completed across 3 direct rounds, Very Mini-sota 2024 offered a classic display of speed cubing focus. Fans tracking standard Rubik's Cube variants and extended multi-blind pursuits saw progress at every level of the standings. The mix of memory challenges and big cube speeds provided a balanced test for everyone who took a seat at the tables.

As another WCA competition entry enters the record books for 2024, the achievements from Edina highlight how individual milestones shape a tournament. While observers often look first for 3x3 results, the deep personal improvements and debut solves in Edina showed the rich variety speedcubing has to offer. The lessons learned under the Southdale Library lights will serve these solvers well as the competitive season moves ahead.