Why did you get into speedcubing?

[Sa967St]

Just a thought I had, why did you guys choose to speedcube as a hobby? I've been seeing posts about people wanting to quit because they believe they have reached their limits in speedsolving stuff, and I wonder if it was their intention in the first place to try to get to this point.

When I started off cubing I was doing it just for the sake of wanting to see a solved cube in my hands. After doing so I realized that it was pretty fun to solve it, so I scrambled it again and solved it again. A few more solves later I started to time myself with a stopwatch, and from then on I wanted to get faster. I had no idea how fast I could get and I didn't have the intention to reach my limit, I just wanted to keep trying to beat my personal bests because I found it fun for me.

Why did you guys decide to get into speedcubing? Is it because you saw it on TV/the Internet and thought it was something you could become good at, or because you like solving puzzles and be good at them? How about for the sake of having a unique impressive talent? When you first picked up a cube, did you decide then that you were doing to pursue getting fast at solving it, or did it just happen naturally without much thought?

I'm curious about how your views of your cubing/speedcubing has changed from the time you first did solves up until now. For those who are still trying to get faster, do you have a specific limit in mind, or are you waiting to figure it out? What will happen when you reach this point? For those who believe you've gotten as fast as you can, what do you think about finally getting to it? Is your current average something you expected from the very beginning?


Note: This is different from this thread, I'm asking why you chose to pursue getting faster at cubing and what you expected from it, not why you started to cube.

 

[OMGitsSolved]

My friend tried to show me how and I couldn't understand but I couldn't stop until I got it so I learned from Tyson Mao's DVD.

 

[hic2482w]

My friend could solve it. I couldn't. When I learned, we raced. And he was faster than me. soo.....

 

[cuberr]

I learned with my friend, so we continually tried to beat each others' best times. Then he started cubing a lot more and became a lot faster than me.. Now I've made my own goals and am trying to get faster to beat them. At the moment, I'm trying to be sub 30. After I get there, then my next goal will be sub 20.

 

[waffle=ijm]

I wanted to be the very best like no one ever was.

 

[Andrew Ricci]

I learned how to solve it. Then, I wanted to be faster. XD

Seriously though, I first saw stuff like Yu Nakajima's 6.57 (unofficial), Haiyan Zhuang 30 seconds BLD, and had a desire to solve the cube in under 30 seconds. (see lame)

I then proceeded to solve more and more using the beginner's method, only to discover that it was quite slow in comparison to others. (Fridrich, ZZ, Roux, etc) After a week or two, I began solving using the Fridrich Method. It didn't take me long to get below my times with the Beginner's Layer By Layer method, and in around 2 months (I think, not too sure) I was sub 30. By that time, I had completely forgotten my original goals. xD

I proceeded to Sub 20, which was my next goal, but never really thought the same for sub 15. Even now, I don't really have goals like that. I just solve and solve. I have no idea when sub 10 will come, but I honestly don't care. And it definitely won't be the end.

@Waffo POKEMONS!!!1!!!111!!!!

 

[jrb]

I saw a documentary on the cube called Piece by Piece. It inspired me to figure out how to solve it with the beginner method when I got a cube for my birthday the next day.

 

[ianography]

I just like to cube... that and my friend was faster than me and I was jealous

 

[rubiksczar]

My friend could solve it in 3 minutes, i could solve it in 30 minutes. I'm very competitive. Now I can solve the cube in 15 seconds and my friend can solve it in 1:30

 

[EricReese]

I didn't like the idea that Ryan was faster then me at anything, I have yet to surpass him <_<

 

[Dacuba]

grandma + $1 Cube + beginners tutorial + 7.08 vid

 

[SixSidedCube]

I saw this Indian dude in my class at school solving it with Dan Browns method, and he gave me the link, so I went and bought a cube and solved it with his method, looking at the PC though. After I did it, I thought, "Well that was boring", and I gave up for a month or two. My interest resparked when I saw one of Feliks' videos and realized that he was from Aussie, and would be competing at the NZ champs. I didn't get to go to that comp, but I kept practising for this years NZ Champs, oh, and btw, FELIKS YOU BEST BE COMING!

 

[Cool Frog]

I felt like learning one day. Then I wanted to get SUPER FAST. Then I took this long break and was bored with CFOP, learned Roux. That peaked my interests again. Learned some more interesting methods and stoof.
I love every step in the methods I use.
Just love learning new stoof.

 

[yamahammer08]

My story of how I got into cubing and why I wanted to get faster are one in the same. I was spending the Christmas holidays at my grandparent's house, as we do every year. We took a trip to walmart, and while there my dad saw a rubik's cube at walmart. He had said he knew how to solve in his younger days (had to be around 1980). He claimed he could sub30 back then (he might have even said he was around 20? not for sure on that, but I doubt it), I'm not quite sure whether I choose to believe him or not, but thats beside the point.

My grandparents had dial up internet at the time and only the local channels on TV, and it was extremely cold outside, so I didn't have much to do but solve the cube for the next 2 weeks. My dad relearned how to solve it fairly quickly, and it took me quite a bit longer to learn. After I had learned how my dad found cubetimer.com, so we began having races. I remember getting sub minute for the first time, but my dad beat me to it. But I would have my redemption, I beat him to sub 50. About this time, Christmas was over and school resumed, and in turn I had no time and I didn't see the cube again for a good 4 years after that (which was about a month ago). I happened to see the cube in my drawer when I had some free time so I thought I would try my hand at it again. I couldn't remember how to do more than the first layer, but eventually learned again. Having the obsessive personality that I do, I had to get faster and tried to look up better methods. While searching, I found this site, and learned about the fridrich method, and its just grew on me from there.

I never really had a goal when I started, other than to beat my dad. My current goal is to be sub 40 average. (current average around 41) My ultimate goal would be to be sub 20, but I don't see that coming any time soon. If I do reach that and I'm not bored of cubing yet, I'll keep upping my goal, but only time will tell.
Wow that was long, but nice to reminisce about the good ole days lol

 

[Athefre]

I went shopping with my Christmas money in 2005. I saw a K-Ball on sale at Kmart and thought it would be fun to try to solve it. I searched for a solution online but didn't see one. I had the idea that maybe it was the same as a 2x2x2 solver I had seen; it worked.

These searches led me to find the Yahoo! group and Twisty Puzzles. This caused me to have a strong urge to buy a Rubik's Cube.

I have posted about my puzzle interests on various game forums (such as digitpress.com, username chicnstu) that I've been visiting for years. I often wonder if there is anyone that is here because of that.

 

[FatBoyXPC]

I didn't like the idea that Ryan was faster then me at anything, I have yet to surpass him <_<

At least you win w/the women (if you get them, that is).

 

[Mike Hughey]

One could argue that I was into speedcubing back in the early days, since I did time myself and I did try to get faster. But I didn't really consider myself to be truly attempting to speedcube until I picked it back up in 2006. At that time, I had spent several years noticing that there was an online community dedicated to speedcubing, and I had always wanted to be able to say I could solve it really fast. For me, really fast meant sub-minute. So when I picked it back up, my goal was to get sub-minute. Once I got there, I realized very quickly that sub-30 was pretty attainable, even for me, so I decided to stick it out until I got sub-30; then I would quit, figuring that was a fun diversion for several months.

But then I stumbled upon Macky's site, discovered BLD solving, and now I'm hopelessly hooked. It's all Macky's fault.

As for the other questions, I secretly would like to exceed Ton as the fastest old speedcuber. But realistically, I doubt it will happen (even if I miraculously get fast someday, Ton will always be faster). And I want to be sub-minute on 3x3x3 BLD, and sub-10 on 5x5x5 BLD, and do all these crazy multis and relays BLD, etc. So it's hard to see myself ever reaching a "final goal"; if I quit, it will have to be for other reasons, I'm afraid.

 

[Owen]

No reason. I just wanted to solve it, then I just wanted to solve it again...

 

[JLarsen]

My evolution was pretty similar to the OPs. My first goal was just to solve it, and it was really fun the first time I did it. I just sort of had this urge to do it again, and again, until I saw myself getting faster and faster. That was when I learned about the speedsolving community, this forum, and it just kept going from there.

 

[Jedi5412]

I was always intrested in cubes but everytime i goto a relatives house I got told off for touching theirs (for some unknown reason).
Eventually after a couple years around december last year I went to the warehouse and brought a storebought and played with cubes every since.