Rubik’s Cube Beginnings
Drew Ford (13, USA)
I first began trying to solve Rubik’s Cubes when I was eight years of age. I got a Mona Lisa sticker mod cube as a present on my birthday and was so excited. It even came with a plastic case to show it off. I told my dad to mix it up slightly, but not enough to “break it”. I have had experience with that before… He turned it three or four times and handed it back. I looked at it and told him,
“I told you not to mix it too bad!” He just laughed. I twisted and twisted, never getting it solved. It was just another toy down the drain. Five years later, I asked for a name brand Rubik’s Cube for my 12th birthday. I was sitting on the couch, when my grandmother came up to me and said,
“Happy birthday Drew!” and pulled out a wrapped gift. I opened it, and I saw a clean, fresh, Rubik’s Cube. I screamed with delight,
“THANK YOU!!!!!!!” and ripped the package open. I sat there and admired it, then twisted it a couple times to test the maneuverability. It turned smoothly and easily. This was not a speed cube though, it was just a plain, for fun Rubik’s cube. I mixed it, but just so I could fix it. I said the same thing to my dad,
“Don’t mix it enough to break it,” And the exact same thing happened. But this time, I didn’t give up. I kept working at it, but I never could solve it. I eventually saw the white top of the cube,
“RUBIKS.COM,” I decided to visit the website in hope of finding a solving guide. I found one and set out to solve the cube. The video solution didn’t work, so I downloaded the guide onto my Kindle. I worked on it and for once, SOLVED A RUBIK’S CUBE!! I decided to keep trying, and memorize the guide to solve it repeatedly. I worked on it, doing steps over and over, but it took me over a year to memorize it and be able to reperform it correctly.
This is how I learned to solve a Rubik’s cube, and I like to show it off a lot!