Does Your Kid Love Rubik’s Cubes?

This past summer, Joss learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube. Since then, he’s learned how to solve other cubes – his favorite is the Pyraminx – and is in the process of learning others. At the start of the school year, we took a weekend trip to Oklahoma City to watch a Rubik’s cube competition. We arrived just in time for the blindfolded solving, which was incredible! I joined the Southern Cubing Facebook group to keep up with the regional cubing competitions, but there didn’t seem to be much happening in Tulsa – until now.

In March, the World Cube Association (WCA) will host a competition in Tulsa. Even better, it’s really geared toward first-time competitors. So we’ve signed up, but I don’t know if we’ll end up competing or not. It may be a hobby Joss wants to do just for fun and not competitively. But it’s a good opportunity.

For those looking to practice for the competition or just improve their cubing skills, there’s also a new Tulsa Cubers group that began monthly meetups in December 2024. Joss and I missed the first one but made it to the second one, and it was a really nice time. The kids enjoyed sharing cubes back and forth (there are way more puzzle options than just your traditional 3×3 cube), talking about their best cubes, etc. They piled all the cubes in the middle of a table for a photo op. It was an impressive collection! The next meetup is Feb. 1, 11 a.m. at Wizard’s Asylum.

The group was founded by local mom Kiely Shimabukuru, whose son is a competitive cuber. I asked her some questions to help others learn more about the new group:

How did your family get into cubing?

My children are bright young men. My older son, Robbie, has always been drawn to games and puzzles that involve strategy. He’s also a fidgeter! You put those two together and you have the makings for a natural speedcuber. He started learning different algorithms to solve a 3×3 cube when he was 11.

What cubing competitions has your son done? What was the experience like?

We’ve attended several in OK (Tulsa and OKC), and we’ve started participating in NW Arkansas as well. We’re open to the Dallas area but just haven’t made it down there yet.

It’s a fun, all-day thing! For OKC and Arkansas, we’ve headed into town the day before, stayed in a hotel and have made a fun little trip of it. It’s exciting to see Robbie prep for his next round, meet other cubers, and see just how advanced some of these competitors are.

What resources were most helpful to your son as he got more into competitive cubing?

Robbie found YouTube videos super informative. He’s had several different cubes to practice with over the years and continuously puts time into learning algorithms and improving his personal records. My husband, Robbie’s dad, is a great supporter of Robbie’s interest in speedcubing and has helped steer him toward helpful videos and online resources as well.

Why did you start the new Tulsa Cubers group, and what are you hoping to get out of it/what are you hoping others will get out of it?

Once Robbie attended his first competition, which was here in Tulsa, we saw how impressive the participation was, how many other kids close in age to Robbie were interested in speedcubing as well, and we figured that several may very well live right here in the Tulsa area. We tried to search on Facebook for a local, established cubing group so that he could jump in, get involved, and start socializing with these like-minded kids, but there wasn’t one. Here we are a couple years later, and we’ve decided to pave the way! It’s been well received and will only continue to grow and develop from here.

For now, the group intends to meet on the first Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. at Wizards Asylum off 71st and Mingo. These meetings are to enable speed cubers (of any age and at any stage) to come together to get to know one another, learn from each other, review upcoming WCA-sanctioned competitions in the region, and improve their personal records by practicing together and competing against each other in different puzzles.

Is the group for all ages?

It is! When attending competitions, we’ve seen competitors from early grade school age to middle-aged adults. All are welcome.

Do you have to be a competitive cuber to join?

That’s the idea. If you haven’t yet competed, but you intend to, this is still a place for you.

What is some advice you’d give to parents whose kids are getting into cubing, either competitively or just for fun?

The WCA website is great to see what upcoming competitions there are all across the country, and it updates just about every day. Keep an eye on that to see what events your child may want to aim to participate in. If you aren’t paying for the expense of traveling much, the registration fees alone are rather inexpensive at $20 – $35 each typically.

Although not totally necessary, GAN, MoYu, or QiYi cubes, some of which can be pricey, will make for smoother transitions when solving the puzzles. [Editor’s Note: Some popular online cubing shops include speedcubeshop.com and thecubicle.com]

Some more seasoned cubers will lean on helpful tips and tricks like using hand warmers ahead of competition time, recording their solve attempts, wearing headphones to limit outside noise during competition, and more.

If you’re just starting out or are looking to improve your skills and solve times, use YouTube (or come to our Tulsa Cubers meet ups)! Some of Robbie’s favorite YouTube channels are:

• Ting Man
• Soup Timmy
• Cube Head

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

If anyone is interested in participating as a guest speaker to address the group and touch on topics like solo sports, competitive drive, strategy, speedcubing skills, the importance of learning from others, etc., please email me at TulsaCubers@Gmail.com!

Additionally, if any individuals or companies would like to sponsor an occasional lunch, some practice equipment, or the registration fees for members of this group, that would be very well received!