Belgian Open 2009

[CharlieCooper]

it was fun we were in that restaurant for 3 hours because arnaud's house has poor light

definitely agreed. note to self: bring extra lamps to arnaud's house. hey, arnaud, let's turn the garage into a cubing centre!

 

[Koen]

Did you know that

- Erik, Robin and I held a huge cube relay at Burger King in Rotterdam?
- People were staring at Erik and Robin and when I arrived and started solving, even more people started staring?
- Erik's new girlfriend is a cool girl?
- An Irish kid who's name is Conor Baumann looks like Matyas Kuti extremely?
- the same kid was referred to as 'The Kuti-clone' in his presence?
- Robin Kwant lost his white OH cube and really wants someone to give it back?
- Robin also likes fireworks like Rama and me?
- Jimmy Coll can speak French amazingly fast?
- when we were at another fastfood restaurant in Brussels, called 'Quick', we actually had to wait 15 minutes to get our order?
- I sold a JSK cube for 20 euros, but I bought it for only 7 euros a month earlier?
- I set a PB in sq-1 on my first official solve ever?
- I had a 14.78 single in 3x3, and a 18.80 avg, and thereby being sub Arnaud?
- I failed hard at 4x4, which I practiced for 2 weeks intensively?
- I set a PB avg in 5x5, 2:10, which I didn't practice at all for several weeks?
- Gilles van de Peereboom is a cool guy and speaks Korean?
- Koen Wermer thinks I'm the weirdest Turkish guy he's ever met?
- Koen Wermer beat me when we raced clock vs. 2x2?
- Koen Wermer set a new NR in clock?
- You have to be careful with your stuff when kids want to borrow your things and think you gave it to them as a present?
- Rama gave me a OH cube as a present and it actually says 'Rama's Cube' on a white sticker?
- I think Rama is the coolest Indonesian/Dutch guy I know?
- Mats laughed at Erik when he beat him in 3x3 finals, but turned silent when Erik replied 'good luck finding a girlfriend'?
- Mats and I did a 3x3 teamsolve in 18.xy seconds? (step by step)
- We had a great time and appreciate the organisation by Jimmy and Olivier greatly?
- this is the end of my post?

Yes, I know

 

[Koen]

[*]Koen did a 6 second average on clock in the car?

of 12 I hope? If he has not yet broken my UWR then he is in BIG trouble.

Did you know that

• I got a sub-7 average of 12 about 2 weeks ago and it is still not on speedcubing.com?
• you should break that soon because I'm not practicing anymore?

 

[Erik]

I'll keep my report as much cubing focussed as possible

So friday I went to Arnaud by train. At the station was Robin who failed to find Arnaud's house after 40 minutes so he decided to just wait for me
It was kinda weird to be there at 16:30 already when Arnaud would arrive at 22:30 and Hakan at 19:00, but nevertheless it's always nice at Arnaud's place.
At 17:10 we were really hungry already so we tried to go to the MC, it was closed and we didn't really feel like going far so we went to the BK then. Not my favorite food at all, but when I'm really hungry I eat everything.
So at 20:00 we were STILL cubing in the BK. The light at AvG's house is indeed a bit poor so we stayed there and did a table-full relay (pics in Robin's post). Hakan arrived too, then we went to Arnaud's house. Arnaud arrived ON TIME
Later we were so hungry that we went to Rotterdam and got some chicken stuff.

After a night of short sleep (nerves + Arnaud and Robin talking and cubing + getting up early does not help) we started driving to the competition.
When we arrived in the right street there was nothing at house number 70. Turned out the paper with "BELGIAN 2009" was just out of our sight and we were 50 metres from the venue when we called Ton xD
The results were not really special, magic was horrible, I probably killed 3 magics on that try. I got my ass kicked by Raphi on magic after that, grrr never convince your gf to compete
Anyway, after a night of very little sleep the main competition day was there.
Ron actually fooled me the whole day by letting me think the avg 3x3 WR was broken together with the 4x4 single, at 22:00 that night I actually heared it was a joke xD good job on letting me think that
First round of 3x3 was funny, it were the first 5 cubes of the day and on the DNF I got I gambled on the skip. I thought I knew that I'd get a PLL skip, threw the cube down: 6.86 but then I saw I actually had a J perm on the back left... ah well, it was worth trying
The 2x2 first round was awefull, luckily I could make up for it in the finals, still not a great average but at least I won
On 4x4 I was doing some really good warm up times, got a 37.44 with OLL parity but made some stupid mistakes on the last 2 official solves, centres wrong (twice) and forgetting to pair some edges is not really helping to set good times.
On 5x5 I did good warm up times too, almost all solves were sub 1:20. But the official solves were really really really really really bad I don't know but somehow I was shaking and my lookahead was basically gone...
Blindfolded started ok with a safe 2:14 solve, the 2nd solve was really hard for me to memorize somehow but I took my time and still finished it.
I saw Clement did a 1:55 so at the last solve I tried to rush a bit: 1:51. But apparently I shot to the wrong sticker once, ending up with 2 flipped edges
Finals of 3x3 sucked since Raphi had to leave during them so my mind was not really set to cubing. I'll get Mats back for this congrats anyway for your sub-12 average! And for beating Rama in the finals
And of coooouuuurse again a happy b-day to Rama for managing to walk this earth for 19 years now

I'd like to add that I suck at drumming but I luckily beat Arnaud on it (according to Raphi at least, so I'm not sure if I was really better...)

Vids will come if Arnaud sends me them to upload (or if he uploads himself )

 

[Gunnar]

Ron actually fooled me the whole day by letting me think the avg 3x3 WR was broken together with the 4x4 single, at 22:00 that night I actually heared it was a joke xD good job on letting me think that

Haha, that's a good joke.

On 4x4 I was doing some really good warm up times, got a 37.44 with OLL parity but made some stupid mistakes on the last 2 official solves, centres wrong (twice) and forgetting to pair some edges is not really helping to set good times.

Wow, that's insane! :-O Btw, which 4x4 do you use nowadays? I got my two mefferts 4x4 today, and I've heard they are awesome. I'm just waiting for the silicon to do it's work.