#11 AJ Nicholls
From Hawaii to Reykjavik, from the North Highlands to the Isle of Wight (in the same weekend?!). He was at your last comp and he’ll be at your next comp. That’s right folks, for our latest ‘meet the cuber’ it’s time to hear a bit more about AJ Nicholls!
What keeps you motivated to come to so many comps?
I think I just enjoy seeing people being happy. Competitions are such a positive environment where I have seen people mature and many people have had wonderful moments of success that I have enjoyed being in the same room for!
My friend Peter Hugosson-Miller from Sweden once remarked to me that cubers are “[his] sort of people” and I agree with this sentiment. The UK community may be spread out in different corners of our country, but we are all united with an enjoyment of our shared hobby. Competitions are somewhere we can meet and speak the same jargon and get to log a few official times. Sometimes I even get good solving times myself!
What would you say is you biggest cubing achievement?
I’m always rather happy when at the end of a competition that I contributed to in either a Delegate or Organiser role, someone comes to me and expresses genuine thanks for how glad they were to turn up and compete. This is especially true with newcomers or the parents of them. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I have contributed even in a small way to someone having a satisfying experience.
In terms of results, I enjoy keeping track of the unofficial Senior Cuber Rankings and I’m happy to have held 40+ UK records in 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, Clock and (very unexpectedly) Square-1.
More recently I’m still in disbelief over getting a 4BLD Mean at Irish Championships 2024. That’s essentially a full WCA profile for me. A 5BLD Mean isn’t an ambition right now.
If you could change something about competitions (events/format/something else) what would it be and why?
I’ve been impressed by some of the experimentation with competition formats and themes that Nev and Eleanor have been doing in their areas of the UK. Admittedly this works best with smaller comps, but the truth is that smaller comps are what I prefer. They’re easier to find venues for and in general I find competitors to be more helpful in such a setting. Thankfully the WCA is global and we can look at what worked and didn’t work in other countries and then think about how best to adapt ideas to make them work well for us.
What are your aspirations for the future?
No results aspirations anymore. Qualifying for events I care about at major championships is too much of an uphill struggle to battle against whilst balancing my other pursuits; and there are too many other talented UK Senior Cubers now for me to maintain a foothold in any events for much longer. I’m happy to pass the torch there. Really my main focus is to support the UKCA with helping the community have more competitions and to improve my own experience and knowledge as a Delegate in the process. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into the UKCA and - as not everyone realises this - we are all just volunteers, looking to popularise and benefit the hobby we all love.
What do you get up to outside of cubing?
Outside of cubing, I enjoy watching films and movies (there’s a difference, sort of at least) - in fact I’ve seen 5864 at the time of writing. I also enjoy hiking and have climbed all 214 of the Wainwright peaks in the Lake District at least twice each, as well as 112 out of 136 Welsh Hewitts and 182 out of 282 Scottish Munros. I’m also working my way through visiting all of the Football League stadiums and support Ipswich Town FC. I love stupidly hot curries and oversized fry-up breakfasts. I play guitar and keyboard (both fairly poorly). I have also competed in 50+ tournaments of a 1980’s board game called Blood Bowl where - much unlike cubing - I’ve been sponsored!
Finally, a fun fact?
A few weeks ago, I had competed with a total of exactly 11,111 unique competitors!
Thank you for your answers AJ! As such a key figure in the cubing community we always cherish your presence at competitions, and we look forward to seeing you at many more!
#10 Caleb Wolf Dunn
Not sure about calling this one 'meet' the cuber, as our newest interviewee surely needs no introduction.... today we have a Q&A from none other than Caleb Wolf Dunn!!
How did you get into cubing?
My dad had an unsolved cube laying around so I thought I’d give it a go but I never got any further than the white face. Then I got my own cube and learnt to solve it from a YouTube video and very quickly became hooked.
What do you feel is your biggest achievement so far?
This has to be both of my clock national records, just because of hard I worked for them.
How do you feel going into the upcoming Euros?
I'm so excited for euros to go and represent the UK and hopefully get some good results. I am mainly excited to see my friends and meet a lot of new people. Competing will definitely be more nerve wrecking than any comp I've been to before but either way I’m excited to go and have fun.
Any other goals for the future?
My goals for the future are to beat both my clock national record and getting a world record one day is definitely a big goal that would be amazing to achieve.
What do you think about the current level of clock competition?
At the moment Eryk shows clear domination in comp but at home there are loads of people who have a lot of potential to beat the world records but just haven't gotten any god results yet.
A fun fact?
A fun fact about me is that I eat coco pops most days before bed :)
Thank you for answering Caleb! Best of luck at the upcoming Euros!!!
#9 Johnny Morello Kerlaff
For our first MTC post in a little while we get to know a little bit more about Scotland's fastest cuber, it's Johnny Morello Kerlaff!!
How did you get into cubing?
Out of jealousy! My brother could solve the cube in around a minute, and in May 2022 I decided to learn myself. A month later I learned about speed-cubing, and it all spiraled from there.
What has been your favourite competition?
It always turns out to be my most recent one, as I do better and have more fun each time. Right now that's Glasgow Spring 2024; but my previous competition in Edinburgh was great too as I set my first Scottish records in my favourite event, One-Handed, and got to compete alongside the ER holder Nicholas Archer.
What do you feel is your biggest achievement so far?
Definitely my recent Scottish records in One-Handed, it felt so amazing. I was very nervous for the final solve of the average, but managed to get a good time and jumped out of my chair very high when I realised I had got the record.
What goals do you have for the future?
I am not really sure yet, I am not aiming too high at the moment, but I feel like I am improving at a pretty good rate, so with enough work some NRs/ERs in 3x3 and One-Handed in the future would be amazing!
What do you do outside of cubing?
I mainly play sports such as badminton, football, and swimming. I've also had phases of realistic drawings as well as chess. I am also learning to play the Ukulele, as well as code in JavaScript!
What is the cubing community in Scotland like?
It is such a friendly, kind, and welcoming community. A big part of the reason I come to competitions is to see everyone again as they make everything worthwhile.
Finally, a fun fact?
My parents decided to name me after a cherry and I am not sure why.
Thanks for answering Johnny! It's been a while since our last MTC post, let us know who you want to hear about next time!
#8 Jake Brown
This week we have some more personal reflections on the cubing year from Jake Brown!
What do you feel was your greatest accomplishment this year?
Without a doubt, finally getting my first official sub-minute 5x5 average at UKC. It was a goal I'd had for years, probably way back before I even started competing when I first started practicing 5x5. This year alone I had four separate rounds where I had a best possible average of under a minute, but couldn't get it on the last solve, and a total of 11 averages under 1:04, before I finally got it in UKC semi finals. I was so relieved that I had finally been able to prove myself under competition pressure, and now I know I can do it, I've never felt better in striving for even bigger goals!
What was your favourite competition this year?
My favourite comp has to be Hampshire spring - I got my second ever medal, which proved the first wasn't just a fluke, as well as some other great results in 3x3 and Pyraminx. I was also lucky enough to see Daniel Partridge's European Record Pyraminx average, a result that everyone had been hoping for for a long time, as well as the (then) WR Pyraminx podium, with Daniel, Ed, and Jason. Beyond the results, I also vlogged the competition! Messing around and having fun, and being able to share the experience with the world on my YouTube channel, is something I'll always be extremely grateful for, and it really makes the comps that much more special!
Do you have any goals in mind for 2024?
As I've recently had the wonderful opportunity to join the UKCA staff team, one of my main goals for 2024 will definitely be to help out with competitions more and elevate the UK cubing scene to be as great as we know it can be. I've already had so many incredible moments in my cubing journey, so if I can help other people have more moments like that as well, then I'll be there doing whatever I can. In terms of my own results, I now have bigger ambitions than ever - I've always wanted to become a proper all-rounder, so I'm definitely going to dedicate more specific practice to achieving that goal, but I also know that there's still a long way to go in 5x5 for me, so I hope to continue to push the boundaries of the Hoya method for big cubes and show that it can be competitive.
What else would you like to see happen in 2024?
Mainly, I just want 2024 to be bigger and better than ever before for the UK cubing scene - more comps in more new places, more newer competitors reaching the highest echelon of UK cubing, and just more of the amazing moments that the last few years have brought me and the rest of the community! I am firmly of the belief that there has never been a better time to be a UK cuber than right now!
Thanks for answering Jake, and best of luck for all of your 2024 ambitions!!
#7 Sam Spendla
For December's first MTC we start to reflect on an incredible year for cubing with UKCA president Sam Spendla!
What inspired you to become a Delegate?
I never truly felt like I 'belonged' to a community anywhere near as much as when I got involved in speedcubing in 2015. When given the opportunity to become a Delegate in 2018 I snapped up the chance because I wanted to give back those same opportunities presented to me, so that more people could feel the way I do about the sport.
What are your future aspirations for the UKCA/WCA?
I love the UKCA with everything I've got. I want to see it grow as much as possible! In my 5 years on the team we have already grown so much, going from one competition every month, to one or two every week. I want to make sure that the UKCA and our community has everything it needs to ensure that it continues to further speedcubing nationwide; and to find the next generation of UKCA organisers, staff and delegates to keep the growth sustainable, as well as promote speedcubing to the public in anyway we can to keep those numbers coming in.
For the WCA as a whole, having joined the Sports Organization Team earlier this year my main aspiration is getting speedcubing recognised worldwide as a sport. It is one of the most challenging things the WCA has on its agenda, but the benefits that it would bring to everyone, including the UK, are phenomenal!
Sum up the UKCA’s 2023…
Busy! We've had a record 55 competitions this year! We've also incorporated the UKCA as a CIC this year, committing ourselves to reinvesting all profits back into the community and really started to formalise our structure as an organisation, which is something that we've wanted to do for a long time.
(If you're interested in some end-of-year stats, just wait for our upcoming post!)
What would like to see for UK cubing in 2024?
I want to see us in places that we've never held competitions before, places we know are the communities favourites, and even experimenting with different competition formats!
Thanks for answering Sam, and best of luck for 2024!!! There's no way the UKCA would be what it is today without you <3<3<3
#6 Sean Moran
He is the 4-time Megaminx UK Champion, he has a European Record and a European Championship podium to his name, this week's entry is from Sean Moran!!!
How did you get into cubing?
A lot of my friends at school got into it, so I started learning around the same time as them. We used to race and show off cool tricks and algorithms we’d learnt during lunch and that helped motivate me to keep improving.
Describe your first competition...
Macclesfield Open 2016, I got some results I was happy with and met many people that I’m still good friends with today. After the competition it was really cool being able to see all my results and rankings on my WCA profile.
What is you favourite event and why?
Megaminx. I enjoy it because it gives a lot of flexibility and room for self-improvement, which motivates me to find anything could fix in my turning, efficiency, or the algorithms I use.
How do you feel about event going forward, given recent events?
I am very happy for Aidan, it was really cool to see him get a European Record. For now I am going to continue practicing the event. I've been learning new things and been getting good times at home. For now I will continue this momentum and put myself in a good position for upcoming competitions; as well as work towards achieving a good result at the next World Championship.
What other goals do you have for the future?
I have started practicing Square-1 a lot recently, particularly CSP. I would like to be in contention for wins and NRs at some point, however many people are doing the same which will make this rather difficult.
I also want to continue my work on WSOT to help the WCA become an internationally recognised organisation, as it will bring a lot of benefits to communities like the UK.
What do you do outside of cubing?
I’m in my final year of university studying Politics and Economics. I’m hoping to work in government or journalism once I graduate.
Last but not least, a fun fact?
I have a French Bulldog called Rocky because he’s the same colour as a rock.
Thanks for answering Sean! and best of luck with all of your future ambitions!
#5 Eleanor Sinnott
Meet the cuber? Or should I say, meet the Delegate?
A bit of a switch-up this week as we ask some more tailored questions to a UKCA Delegate. That's right! This week it's UKCA Treasurer and Delegate Eleanor Sinnott!!
How did you get into cubing?
My brother bought a cube from a charity shop many years ago and I got absolutely hooked - in fact my dad bought me my own cube to settle the squabbling.
Describe your first competition...
My first competition was UKC 2016. I was very nervous and averaged about 50 seconds, so I knew there would be a lot of people faster than me. I remember walking in and being overcome by this really powerful awe at being surrounded by so many other people who all shared my passion. That feeling has long worn off for me at competitions nowadays, but I often wonder if our new competitors ever get that same awestruck feeling.
What do you enjoy most about cubing?
I'm a very numbers-oriented person, so watching my times tick down is incredibly motivating and addictive. That's why I can't stand doing untimed solves!
What inspired you to become a Delegate?
There's a saying that often goes around - "in cubing, you either get fast or you become a Delegate" and, well, I knew I wasn't going to get fast! Jokes aside, it's incredibly rewarding to get to bring people from all across the UK together united by this awesome hobby. I especially saw the lack of competitions in Scotland where I live and was very grateful to have the opportunity to ignite the competition scene here.
What is something most people don’t know about being a UKCA Delegate?
Probably just the sheer amount that goes on behind the scenes. From emails to bookkeeping to things you might not even have considered, like we have to write a report to the WCA for every competition we run, which can be as long as 5000 words. It's definitely a lot of work, which makes me very proud of our incredible team of volunteers.
What do you do outside of cubing?
I'm a second year Maths student.
Last but not least, a fun fact?
I once got an infection from a Pyraminx tip getting lodged underneath my fingernail during a solve. Stay safe out there!
Thanks for answering Eleanor! And thank you to all Delegates for the hard work that goes into each and every competition!
#4 Fabio Schwandt
7 national records, over 200 medals, your reigning Square-1 National Champion, that's right folks this week's entry is from Fabio Schwandt!!!
How did you get into cubing?
Back in late 2013 my brother learnt how to solve the cube, and with a long plane journey ahead of us, I convinced him to teach me. Brotherly rivalry spurred me on to get faster and the rest is history.
Describe your first competition...
Welcome to Cambridge 2014, it was just a 10 minute walk from where I lived. It was held in a small cafeteria with only 44 competitors, some of which I’m still great friends with today. I vividly remember leaving for lunch and seeing the end of Oliver Frost’s first 5x5 blindfolded world record!
What do you enjoy most about cubing?
Seeing old friends and meeting new people. It’s all about the good vibes in the UK cubing community, that’s what keeps me coming back!
What is your favourite event?
FMC! There’s nothing quite as satisfying as spending an hour on a nice solution and having it all work out in the end. I’m also getting a bit old and I can’t keep up in all the regular speed-solving events.
What is your biggest cubing achievement?
Either winning square-1 at the recent UK Championships or tying the NR FMC mean with 23.00!
What do you do outside of cubing?
I’m currently doing my masters in Maths and Computer Science in Bath.
What piece of advice would you give to newer cubers?
Have fun, and don’t get too caught up if your results don’t go your way!
Last but not least, a fun fact?
I used to create trick shot videos on Youtube with my brother, but the channel name is kept a secret!
Thanks for answering Fabio! (Fabioooooooo)
Will we ever learn the name of that YouTube channel??
#3 Daniel Partridge
This week's entry is from one of the UK's newer talents, but he's already ranked first for sum of ranks and has an European Record to his name..........
It's Daniel Partridge!
How did you get into cubing?
I got into cubing when I was 6. My dad learned how to solve the cube for his 40th birthday and I was fascinated by it and asked him to teach me. It took around 2 weeks for me to learn, but after solving it once or twice lost interest. Then 5 years later when I was in year 6 I saw someone solve one at school and I decided I wanted to learn again.
Describe your first competition...
My first competition was Wakefield Spring 2022, I was 12 and had been cubing again for around a year and a half. The competition went really well, I won skewb, came 3rd in pyraminx and got a 1.46 pyraminx single, missing NR by 0.01
What do you enjoy most about cubing?
I most enjoy the friendships I have made out of cubing, which is similar to everyone else's answers but that just proves how wonderful and welcoming the cubing community is.
What is your favourite event?
My favourite event is 7x7 because I enjoy the flexibility you have with solving it and how you solve it. I also like how one mistake makes pretty much no difference compared to pyraminx which is the complete opposite.
What is your biggest cubing achievement?
Definitely getting my pyraminx 1.57 European Record average
What do you do outside of cubing?
I am a student in year 10 and I have my GCSEs next year
What piece of advice would you give to newer cubers?
Don't compare yourself to others, it will just be demotivating. Instead just try and focus improving your own results.
Last but not least, a fun fact?
When I was 10 I played for the Lincolnshire under 18 pool team!
Thanks for answering Daniel! Hopefully all of you reading this don't feel too old after seeing the phrase 'GCSEs', we've all got plenty more cubing years in us.
#2 Harry Savage
This week's entry is from one of the UK's best, you may have even seen him on the TV recently....
That's right it's Harry Savage!
How did you get into cubing?
First got into cubing at my grandparents' house in early 2013. It was a wet holiday to visit them, so to keep me entertained my parents dug out an old Rubik's cube that belonged to my aunt as a child. My mum taught me to do the first two layers, but couldn't remember the rest, so we looked it up on a website. Unbeknownst to us, the cube we had had a single corner twisted, so it was unsolvable, so we never succeeded. I found one in a cupboard at home after getting back, solved it with the instructions, and was hooked!
Describe your first competition...
My first competition was Cuthberts Open 2013. I was blown away by the number of cubers there, having never met another before. I made lots of friends quickly, and didn't even want to eat my lunch I was so busy having such a great time with them!
What do you enjoy most about cubing?
My favourite aspect is that although everybody is up against each other, all the competitors are also supporting one another. There aren't many other competitive hobbies like it!
What is your favourite event?
My favourite event is FMC. I love the problem-solving nature of it, and that speed isn't nearly as important as in speed-solving events.
What is your biggest cubing achievement?
My 17 move FMC single world record back in 2019. Never thought I'd ever get a world record at all, let alone at that competition.
What do you do outside of cubing?
I'm a 4th Year Biology Student!
What piece of advice would you give to newer cubers?
Get to a competition as soon as you can, no matter how fast you are. You will meet loads of people similar to you and be inspired to practice!
Last but not least, a fun fact?
I had to go to A&E as a child because I put a stone up my nose.
Thanks for answering Harry! I hope you all enjoyed learning about one of the UK's best (at cubing, not just putting stones up noses!)
#1 Oliver Wheat
Welcome to 'meet the cuber!' A new weekly series where you get to know some of our community's familiar faces a little bit better.
Our first entry is from UKCA vice-president & WCA delegate Oliver Wheat!
How did you get into cubing?
I had one lying around in a box and learnt to solve it after a friend was showing off. Then I forgot about it for a few years until my GCSEs when I had a technology ban, so the cube was a great distraction from revision. That’s really when the obsession began.
Describe your first competition...
ABHC 2016 - I was nervous at first but found some people my age and managed to start talking with them. It was so cool suddenly having other people who knew all these cubing terms and algorithms, who I could talk with excitedly about our shared passion. I still have a lot of memories of this competition and ABHC has a special place in my heart, so it’s really cool that I’ve been able to bring them to my hometown in 2022 and 2023.
What do you enjoy most about cubing?
The friendliness and sportsmanship in the community. Everyone is always happy for you when you do well!
What is your favourite event?
3x3 Multiblind - it really pushes the limits of blindfolded solving and is seriously impressive to both non cubers and veterans.
What is your biggest cubing accomplishment?
My first sub-10 average of 5 on 3x3. It was a huge long term milestone for me and I got it after only a week of focusing on trying to get it.
What do you get up to outside of cubing?
I am a Data Analyst for an insurance company. A lot of my relevant skills actually came from doing statistics on the WCA database, so even my work life has stemmed from cubing!
What piece of advice would you give to newer cubers?
Give it a go, compete in every event you can make the time limit in and start practicing the events where you can’t.
Last but not least, a fun fact?
I have played piano since I was eight years old and have also written my own songs.
Thank you for the brilliant answers OJ, I hope this post has let you get to know a key community figure a bit better!