Sluggish solve times at competition

[gecan]

I'd like to go to my first WCA competition. For the 3x3x3 cube, that should be no problem as my latest average of 12 was 36 seconds (not superfast, but not superslow either). However, i think it's a waste to just go to a WCA competition just for the Rubik's cube, seeing as I also have a 4x4x4, 5x5x5 and megaminx.

On the other hand, my times for these bigger cubes are so sluggish. It'd be horrible to be sitting there solving the cube while everyone is already finished and watching as I finish the cube. Should I take the cubes anyway? What are some recommended times I must achieve before taking those cubes to a competition?

 

[That70sShowDude]

You're worrying about it too much. If you're under 10 minutes, why not?

 

[gecan]

Yes, I'm around 4-5 minutes for the 4x4x4, 6-8 minutes for the 5x5x5 and 5 minutes for the megaminx.

 

[RyanReese09]

Well you'll see slow people of all natures solving in specific events.

If you can solve the cube, do it (as long as you're not something like 10 minutes for 4x4x4 or something)..What times do you think are sluggish for those events? What do you average for 4x4x4, 5x5x5, and megaminx? There will be a very good chance there will be someone slower then you at the competition. Don't worry too much about being slow.

My first competition (you can even see it on my wca sheet), my first 2x2x2 solves were high 1 minute, near 2 minutes. My first 5x5x5 solve that competition was almost 7 minutes. Thinking back I really shouldn't have competed, since I asked someone before I started to refresh my memory on a parity alg (had just learned it the night before)

I'm rambling now..tl;dr you're good, compete in it. At any rate it's extremely easy to improve when you're at a slower speed, so by competition you could be much faster.

Edit-Looking back, I solved a 3x3x3 that comp much faster then my 2x2x2! Ahah...

 

[masterofthebass]

You're worrying about it too much. If you're under 10 minutes, why not?

I'd hate to discourage someone from going to a competition, but it is detrimental to organizers to have someone taking 8 minutes for a 4x4 solve.

That being said, going to a competition isn't just about competiting. Go and learn something and maybe your times will drop

 

[That70sShowDude]

I'd hate to discourage someone from going to a competition, but it is detrimental to organizers to have someone taking 8 minutes for a 4x4 solve.

That being said, going to a competition isn't just about competiting. Go and learn something and maybe your times will drop

At least he'd only be doing 1 or 2 solves.

 

[Kian]

At least he'd only be doing 1 or 2 solves.

Yeah, and I also don't want to discourage people from competing. But I would only ask that people actually practice the events they compete in at some point. I have no problem if someone tries and is just slow, but if you average 8 minutes for 4x4, you probably haven't put in enough practice to warrant competing.

 

[qqwref]

However, i think it's a waste to just go to a WCA competition just for the Rubik's cube

Actually, it's not. The competition will run the whole day, and while you may only have 3-5 minutes on stage, you'll be spending the rest of the day talking to other cubers, looking at the cool puzzles people have brought, sharing tips, and meeting new people. For someone who's still learning their way around the cube, like yourself, this is a lot more valuable than actually competing, so you should spend as much time in the "audience" as you can.

It'd be horrible to be sitting there solving the cube while everyone is already finished and watching as I finish the cube.

You seem to think competitions are run in a way that everyone starts at once and you can tell who's fastest and who's slowest. This actually isn't the case, for time reasons, but also because there just aren't enough stackmats/judges to do a lot of people at once. In a real competition, people will start their solve at basically random times, which means there will always be a few fast people on stage. People might notice that your display shows a bigger number than other people's displays, but they won't look down on you for it, because everyone was slow at some point.

 

[vcuber13]

Edit-Looking back, I solved a 3x3x3 that comp much faster then my 2x2x2! Ahah...

how does that even happen?

 

[Mike Hughey]

Edit-Looking back, I solved a 3x3x3 that comp much faster then my 2x2x2! Ahah...

how does that even happen?

It's pretty easy to have that happen if you've never tried 2x2x2 before. Having no centers for reference can really throw you off if you've never tried it before. I've watched this in action a number of times as my kids or students who have learned 3x3x3 try 2x2x2 for the first time. It's often pretty funny to watch, because they get so frustrated!

 

[RTh]

Around here there's a competition once a year. I was looking through some of the results in 3x3... nobody below 20 sec xD 4x4, the fastest was 2'5 min. And 5x5.. only one tried that, and was a 6 min solve. By the other hand, for 2x2 someone did a 4 sec avg.

Anyway, my point is. Even if you don't average 40 sec on 3x3 you should go to every competition you can. It's fun and you'll have the chance of meeting new people, comparing your techniques, times, and so on.

I myself would like to go to this competition I mentioned, but it'll be in September or so.

 

[RyanReese09]

It's pretty easy to have that happen if you've never tried 2x2x2 before. Having no centers for reference can really throw you off if you've never tried it before. I've watched this in action a number of times as my kids or students who have learned 3x3x3 try 2x2x2 for the first time. It's often pretty funny to watch, because they get so frustrated!

how does that even happen?

Yeah I was supposed to have gotten my 2x2 in the mail actually a few days before the comp but they had been delayed shipping it out. I went on stage for the first time with a borrowed 2x2 assuming it couldn't be all that hard to solve .