How I Met the Cube
Toby Perlstadt (11, USA)
I first was introduced to the Rubik’s cube when I was about 5 or 6. It was my dad’s cube. I was fascinated by it and always wondered how to solve it. Then it faded away from my life due to growing up, moving houses, and school. It sparked back up again after I saw that my friends in 6th grade had cubes and knew how to solve them. I was interested and dug out my dad’s cube from under my dresser. I was ready to solve. The only problem was that the cube was extremely slow. Then things really got started when I got a Megaminx for Chanukah.
I brought it to school and impressed a lot of people at school. I inspired 3 people to get Megaminxs. This was my first speed cube. By the time the new year rolled in I had some holiday money so I purchased a QiYi Sail and a few other cubes including 2 by 2, 4 by 4, and others. It took me many months of practice before I had memorized Sune, Antisune, U perm, and A perm and the rest of beginner’s method. I practiced and started getting 2 minute solves and learning H perm and Z perm. I knew that I could solve the 3 by 3, but the Megaminx was not forgotten. I self taught myself all but the last layer of Megaminx using 3 by 3 algorithms and my own. I had already solved 2 by 2 by the time I did my first Megaminx solve. The cube I had feared I could never solve was complete. Every day at recess, lunch, and study hall, my friends and I cube, race, and teach each other more perms and OLLs. As of now, I am still working on 4 by 4 and 5 by 5. I have learned 11 perms and 2 OLLs.
I have very supportive friends including Asher Cohen, the unofficial 2 by 2 world record holder (0.45 seconds). I have the largest cube collection in my middle school with 8 different cubes. I am learning Fridrich and all the perms. You can never stop learning.