Competitive energy is palpable at this year’s CubingUSA Nationals in Salt Lake City, but it’s also clear how many Rubik’s fans are drawn as much to the cubing community itself as to the chance of winning a title or prize.
“Everybody is friendly and accepting,” said Elijah Brown, a 16-year-old cuber from Los Angeles, California. “A lot of us aren’t accepted in other places — but here, we are.”
With dozens of brightly-colored Rubik’s cubes and pyramids of all shapes and sizes in their pockets, backpacks and, sometimes, in large, hard-shelled cases, more than 700 people from across the country have converged at the Salt Palace Convention Center.