By KIANA BROOKS-AMOR*
NIMBLE Newborough 2024 was the first Speedcubing Australia event to take place in the area.
By happy coincidence, this landmark event fell in the year of the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s cube.
Speedcubing Australia Trainee Delegate, Daniel Patton, said 65 people attended the event.
The speedcubing competition included solving 2×2 and 4×4 cubes, as well as “a couple of rounds of three x blind, which is 3x3x3 blindfolded,” Mr Patton said.
Traralgon speedcuber Michael Tripodi, who started solving Rubik’s cubes in Grade 3, said he was “stocked” that speedcubing came to the Latrobe Valley.
“I just learned to solve it from the pamphlet in the box,” he said.
Since then, he has memorised “algorithms.”
“Algorithms are pre-memorised sequences of moves that you do to achieve something on a cube,” he said.
He said that a competition environment is ideal for concentration.
“That’s just what the human brain’s capable of. If you’re really passionate about something, and you’re in the right scenario, you can just focus on that, and it’s not a problem,” he said.
Mr Patton said that algorithms are key to solving a Rubik’s cube.
“It’s mainly learning different algorithms. The more you know about it, the quicker you can solve it, more efficiently and, also, a lot of practice in finding different pieces around the cube and being able to recognise it quicker,” he said.
Speedcubing Australia is already planning another Newborough event for next year.
“It’s been popular enough that the numbers will help it out there,” Mr Patton said.
*Kiana Brooks-Amor is a university student completing placement with the Express.
