Washtenaw Fast 'n Late Fall 2023

91 competitors made their way across state lines and regional borders to converge on the Morris Lawrence Building for Washtenaw Fast 'n Late Fall 2023 on September 23, 2023. Travel routes from across the Midwest and beyond led solving enthusiasts to Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA for an intense single-day program featuring 9 distinct events and 15 competitive rounds. The journey proved worthwhile as the bustling hall delivered high-caliber speedcubing action from morning to evening, testing endurance and precision across standard puzzles, side formats, and memory disciplines.

The centerpiece 3x3x3 Cube competition drew 87 entrants across three full rounds of play. Luke Garrett emerged at the top of the standings, capturing victory with a blistering 5.94 winning average and a best single time of 5.33 seconds. Ben Saperstein secured second place on the podium with an 8.67 average, while Asher Kaftan took third with an 8.96 average. These decisive 3x3 results capped a long day of high-pressure speed cubing, establishing a high benchmark for the 2023 autumn circuit in the Great Lakes region.

Garrett put together a sweeping performance that extended well beyond the classic Rubik's Cube. In the 2x2x2 Cube event, Garrett claimed the top spot among 75 competitors with a 2.01 average and a 1.17 single. Jack Manzo finished runner-up with a 2.24 average, followed by Sebastian Carrillo in third at 2.65. Washtenaw Fast 'n Late Fall 2023 also saw Garrett take gold in Pyraminx with a 2.13 average, Skewb with a 4.03 average, and Clock with a 5.38 average, completing an extraordinary five-event haul across the schedule.

The mechanical twists of Square-1 brought 30 contenders to the tables in a direct single-round final. Dominic Cater delivered the winning sequence, averaging 8.36 seconds with a leading single of 7.06 to capture first place. Garrett earned the silver medal in the event with a 10.87 average, and Kaftan collected his second podium of the meet by taking third place with an average of 13.44 seconds.

Blindfolded solving introduced a test of pure spatial recall, where Gabriel Williams V mounted an unchallenged sweep across all three blind disciplines. Williams took top honors in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 40.92 average and a 31.29 single, ahead of Garrett in second at 52.71 and Justin Sui in third at 1:26.40. Williams followed up with a win in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, recording a 6:42.88 average, and closed out 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a winning single solve of 15:12.00 in a field of three contenders.

Beyond the top podium steps, the results table hides remarkable individual breakthroughs achieved by competitors throughout the day. Daniel Yien Chen shaved massive time off his previous marks, recording a 6.83 Skewb personal best that was 60.7 percent faster than his prior record, alongside an 8.45 Pyraminx time that improved by 35.9 percent. Andrew Hoffman took on five separate events, slicing 53 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark with a new 5.36 personal best, cutting his Pyraminx best by 32.2 percent down to 5.35, and registering his first official Clock solve at 22.16 seconds.

Isaac Semrau cut his Skewb standard by 50.8 percent with a 2.92 personal best on his way to 15th place, while Noah James Hoff improved his Pyraminx mark by 43.8 percent to 8.17 and logged a first-time Skewb attempt of 9.46. David Chen dropped his Pyraminx best by 43 percent to 6.98 and attempted 2x2x2 Cube for the first time. Ethan Peng logged a 33 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Cube down to 11.07 while posting initial marks in Skewb and 2x2x2 Cube. Yuanxi Chen improved their 3x3x3 standard by 32.2 percent to 12.34, and Nicholas Swendsen tackled six events, recording maiden attempts in Pyraminx, Clock, and Skewb.

With 27 total podium positions claimed across nine disciplines, the cubing competition demonstrated the impressive breadth of talent gathered in Michigan. Every round required absolute focus under official WCA competition conditions, giving participants of all experience levels a platform to test their limits. The extensive travel and long hours produced measurable gains across the board.

As the equipment was packed away and timers were cleared, Washtenaw Fast 'n Late Fall 2023 concluded a demanding slate of 15 rounds. The event highlighted the dedication of competitors who journeyed to Ann Arbor, leaving a trail of personal milestones, technical achievements, and memorable solves that set the stage for the upcoming competitive calendar.