I present
"World Championships 2009: Lucas Garron's Experience"
in an epic poem composed in the "Did you know?" format!
Did you know that...
...I had homework due on Tuesday and Wednesday before leaving mid-Wednesday, and had only about an hour of sleep the night before leaving?
...I made sure not to miss my 10AM dance class before walking back and being driven to the airport?
...fast waltzing is awesome?
...I'm sad there was no dancing in Germany?
...on the way from dance class, I went past the post office to pick up the new cube book by Slocum, et al.?
...this book (along with 1984) was in my backpack with my cubes all weekend?
...I did not read that book during the entire trip?
...I was on the same flight to Frankfurt as Edward Lin and his mom?
...they gave us good food on the flight?
...the first thing I bought at Frankfurt was a pack of yummy, chewy, German Haribo Gummi-Bärchen?
...Frankfurt is close to Wiesbaden, where I grew up?
...FRA was sorta like my SFO in childhood?
...they were not on my connecting flight to Düssseldorf, but Toby, Bob, and Anthony Searle were?
...I did not sit next to any cubers next to any of my flights?
...I got to enter the short passport line in Frankfurt because my passport is German?
...in Frankfurt, I got a large golden coin that was meant for a 2€ discount, buto it was so awesomely large that I kept it?
...upon arrival, Bob, Toby, and I waited for Shelley, but didn't find her?
...I thought the Novotel was next to the venue, and they didn't know anything contradicting that?
...a taxi there would have cost them ≈50€?
...Instead we took the S-Bahn, which was much cheaper?
...Bob and Toby like pronouncing "Hauptbahnhof" ("main train station") as "Hoppenhoff"?
...I sent Bob and Toby to the venue while taking the bus to the hostel?
...I made sure to buy a yummy, large, German pretzel as soon as possible?
...there are a lot of smokers at German bus stops?
...I met Joey, Charlie, and Laetitia upon arrival?
...Laetitia has neat handwriting, wears a lot of ribbons in her hair, and sometimes fully functional cube earrings?
...a lot of people came to the hostel to hang out?
...Tyson told me the Novotel wasn't next to the venue?
...Bob and Toby were fuming when they made it to the hostel?
...Tyson made me lead the bunch to dinner?
...I really wasn't critical, because most of Germany speaks some English, anyhow?
...at German restaurants you have to ask specifically for "tap water" if you want water?
...German tap water tastes iffy?
...I don't drink beer, yet helped the Americans order it?
...back at the hostel, I met awesomely many Europeans?
...the hostel ran out of passwords for wireless internet access every single day?
...Tyson had me explain MGLS to Dror and Shuka?
...Shuka (from Isreal) is really cool and teaches students using the cube?
...I went to bed quite on time every day before a competition day?
...I actually had no jet lag?
...my initials are LAG, and I know someone whose are JET?
...the competition started late Friday, leaving plenty of time to cube?
...the competition was actually trying to be 2-day, as the posters around Düsseldorf said?
...I still woke up in time for breakfast?
...I spent way too much time racing pyraminx against Aili?
...Aili is cute?
...the bus for the venue arrived on my side of the road first, while I was photographing the other >100 cubers on opposite side of the road?
...the bus only had a capacity of 50?
...the bus took a full load, promising to be back in 15-20 minutes?
...it took an hour?
...in the meantime, Adam and I designed our cube mosaic?
...our cube mosaic is based on the lanyard?
...I spent a few minutes rearranging my backpack before walking into the venue?
...the venue looked amazing?
...we wandered around a bit, because most chairs were taken, and ended up by the Danish/Scandinavian table?
...Tomas asked me how I to pronounce the case he set up on a cube, and being German makes you able to pronounce "Sune" correctly?
...all the Germans had blue shirts with names on the back?
...I really regret having checked the German forum a few days too late to order mine?
...Benjamin Brundzats eventually sent me the files so that I can print my own?
...I did horribly in pyraminx?
...I went upstairs to do 4BLD and 5BLD, but cantrary to popular belief, I do not do multi?
...when I went upstairs, placed my 4x4x4 on the scorecard for 4BLD, waited a bit, and noticed that I was standing next a girl whose shirt said "Nora Christ" on the back?
...I'd been looking forward to meeting this mysterious German Nora, and was just as intruiged to actually meet her?
...after talking for a bit, she picked up a scrambled 4x4x4, and judged me?
...now both
Noras have judged at least one of my official BLD solves?
...I have kissed only one of them on the cheek?
...I was very mentally prepared for my first 4BLD attempt?
...that despite meticulous care and memo review, I remembered and shot uLF instead of dLF?
...this hurt my motivation for the second solve, which was still surprisingly close?
...I saw Kai finish his winning 4BLD?
...I decided to DNS 5BLD?
...I didn't get my 4BLD receipt?
...I did badly on 2x2x2 (8, 9, 11, 4, 3)?
...I lost my 2x2x2 NR single to a 4-move solve?
...you can tell from the results who was in the competitor group with that lucky scramble?
...I still congratulated Marwin-Peter Kurth, since I will never have all cubic NRs at once, and at least I had 2x2x2 single for a while?
...the bus that was supposed to come at 8:15 broke down on the trip?
...we all had to take the train back?
...I spent most of the trip back talking to some Germans (Alex, Moritz, etc.)?
...German cubing is forming a great community that I've been hoping they would?
...we didn't go out to eat because no one else wanted to come, so I just shared a pizza with Joey and cubed a lot?
...I went to bed at midnight to get 8 hours of sleep?
...I got to sleep in the same room as Pedro and Jaap?
...unfortunately, I don't think I received any intelligence from Jaap by osmosis?
...Jaap speaks perfect English, as Charlie was incredulous about?
...instead of waking up at 8, I woke up at 9:30?
...I hurried, and the girl at the hostel front desk even called me a cab to the Hauptbahnhof, and found that S-6 was leaving from Gleis 12?
...that I arrived just on time to make the train on Gleis 12?
...that this was actually the S-11, and S-6 was on Gleis 14?
...I had to go back to the Hauptbahnhof, and wasted about 50 minutes getting to the competition?
...I was nervously nibbling on some yummy German pretzels this whole time?
...this gave me time to finalize the mosaic?
...a woman on the train asked me if I was going to the Rubik's competition?
...I ran through light rain from the Reisholz station to the venue?
...I don't think Bob or Tyson ever got to hear the story and laugh at me for that?
...I got a nice bag with goodies upon arrival?
...I had to beg Ton to let me do 4x4x, because I arrived right before the end?
...when he said there wasn't enough time, I said "Let me see how many I can get through."?
...I did all 5 solves, scrambled by Arnaud?
...my 4th solve was awesomely fast, until I did PLL parity twice, squandering a sub-50 NR for a 53.91?
...OH was soon after, and on the 5th solve, I squandered another NR?
...I got H-perm around 13 and 20.68 total because I couldn't remember the beginning?
...being late, then having two squandered NRs is not a motivating way the start the most important day?
...Shelley, Adam and I had signed up for mosaic-building serendipitously?
...starting with solved cubes for a largely-red-background mosaic is terrible?
...Shelley is fast at mosaic-building?
...Shelley and I both got to keep a very nice store-bought each?
...people kept accusing us of putting the Jumbo logo on just to bias the judges?
...perhaps just having the Rubik's logo as a mosaic would have won?
...we built our mosaic in 3x3 blocks of 3x3x3s, each of us taking one of 3 sections of 3x3 meta-blocks of those 3x3 blocks of 3x3x3 cubes?
...this means our mosaic was made of 243 cubes?
...I met a few other Lucases at Worlds?
...one of them filmed my round 1 solves?
...the judges kept mispronouncing Lukasz Cialon's first name so it sounded like I was up?
...when I asked Lukasz about his name on Sunday, he pronounced it kinda like "Lukazh Chiawon"?
...I made a lot of mistakes on my round 1 3x3x3 average?
...I thought I did badly, and not even nearly sub-13?
...it was actually a 12.72 NR average?
...I got 16th in the first round?
...sub-10 solves are now officially a regular occurence, since the first round of Worlds.
...5x5x5 was miserable, although one of my pops looks funny on video?
...Nora was nice enough to volunteer to film my 5x5x5 solves, and kindly filmed me a lot during the weekend?
...Square-1 and Megaminx were bad, but I did surprisingly well in Magic (1.47, 1.46, 3.41+, 1.94, 1.41, beating my 1.61 single)?
...I had filmed Pasquale doing a 1:05 solve (including CP mistake), but unfortunately didn't catch his entire NR?
...he posed with a sad Stefan after taking the Megaminx NR?
...while watching footsolving, I met two nice German girls, Julianne (that's Yu-lee-un-ne, for those who don't speak German) and Jana (Ya-na)?
...Julianne knows quite a lot, including algs for pretty patterns I did't?
...I bothered Ton a few times about my 4BLD receipt, but didn't get it?
...the ride back was very packed (I sat on the floor), and the bus driver had to turn off the lights to, ahem, avoid the police noticing?
...the PARTY at the hostel wasn't that exciting?
...we did get free dinner?
...I ate at a table with the Austrian Florian Herzog and the Germans Julianne, Jana, Julian, and Jan?
...when I offered Julianne some replacement stickers for her cube that I would have to get from my room, Florian noted that this could sound particularly awkward?
...I plan accidental innuendo about as often as I do multi BLD solves right now (never), but Arnaud, feel free to to use the idea?
...I tried a wooden magic, an aluminum (?) 2x2x2, and raced on on ~9cm wooden 3x3x3 (but Ron won)?
...I made sure to set a gazillion alarms for Sunday?
...the alarms still went off when I was at breakfast, and I had to hurry back to turn them off?
...they had Smacks for breakfast (yum!), and I actually found the cold, fresh milk on Sunday?
...I did terrible in BLD?
...safety solves are no longer safe, nor necessarily successful?
...the BLD round finished early, leaving about an hour untir the semi-final?
...Ron asked me to gather some California people and present some mystery events?
...Tyson's idea of having iterative "introduce yourself to someone new and race" racing in the audience was pretty cool?
...Patrick, the announcer can actually solve a cube?
...though he announced a lot of false things, most of it was data that was not his fault?
...I never really noticed when he moved from English to German and back?
...anyhow, our second mystery puzzle was cube-assembling?
...we were itching for the third mystery puzzle: team BLD with the Japanese calling?
...the Japanese mostly didn't know English, so this was hilarious, but still good fun?
...talking about Japanese, I got a Japanese coin from Masayuki?
...I also got Polish groshen, English pounds, and some Swedish kronen?
...I also bought a centercap-less worn Rubik's 5x5x5 from Ryosuke for 3€?
...Julianne, at some point wanted to try my Mefferts?
...I offered to sell it to her for 10€, even though it's my NR cube?
...it was getting kinda loose, and not only would I be forced to get a nice, new one, but she'd also get more use from it?
...after 3x3x3 finals, she decided to buy it?
...I actually missed clock because of mystery puzzles?
...after I found out it was too late, Tyson yelled at me to come and do my clock solves?
...Dennis helped scramble my clock?
...one mis-scramble had 4 edge clocks on one side aligned, but I refused it?
...I still got a sub-10 clock, which was probably my second-best performance all weekend?
...I really wanted to make the 3x3x3 final, and since I was 16th in the first round, I had a chance at top 16 again?
...this was stressful, because I knew I could do it, but I'd have to focus on not making mistakes?
...they were going to call us up, 16 at once (1 per stage timer), and do simultaneous solves?
...Dan Cohen and I learned from Nationals, made sure to complain, and (with the help of Tyson) got through with the proposal that the cubers stay at their timers, but solves are not necessarily started together.
...this still meant I was going to be on stage, competing with the 15 (temporarily) fastest cubers in the world?
...I spent over 20 minutes warming up?
...I got a 10.07 and an 8.83 in practice?
...my hands were still cold until right after I finished my average?
...I sat behind the two fastest solvers of round 1, Dan Cohen and Tomasz Zolnowski?
...my first solve was an acceptable 11?
...the rest were pathetically bad (14, 14, 13, 13)?
...I was rather sad, but tried to remember that the whole weekend was an exercise in Hakuna Matata?
...Julianne kindly filmed my solves, except missed the 11?
...I don't remember exactly who filmed what, but in general I'd like to thank Lucas V, Nora, Alex, and Julianne for filming my solves?
...I saw Syuhei do his fast 4x4x4 solves, and caught some of Erik's 39 on tape?
...I moved up a chair to sit next to Joey, Aili, and Charlie, and saw Yumu's incredible OH WR average from very close?
...we waved at Yumu during between some solves?
...he waved back?
...I didn't film those solves, just watched in awe?
...I went away to do TouchCube during 3BLD, because I didn't want to see the final of the only event I'd had a chance a podium in?
...3x3x3 finals were pretty cool?
...I filmed using Joey's camera?
...the dislay stand was in the way of the left station's cube?
...Breandan is FAST?
...like during other event, the announcer inisted that we needed to wait for the last times to be entered (and the fastest times were always entered last) before we could know who was the world champion?
...they played a lot of loud music in celebration, and during awards?
...my only award was for fastest German 3x3x3 single?
...I accidentally crushed a cardboard cube during the photo of the singles award winners?
...I actually managed to snatch a cardboard cube from the stage at the end?
...I forgot to have people sign it for me?
...I'm getting used to the idea of being asked for signatures, but it's still a bit odd?
...at the end I went up to the organizer's table, and finally got to rummage through to get my 4BLD receipt?
...just for the difficulty of obtaining it, that receipt now has even more sentimental value?
...I ended up planning to eat dinner with Erik, the Germans, and the Austrians?
...Stefan Huber is awesome?
...his nickname should be "Super-Duper Über-Cuber Huber"?
...Sanio drowe Stefan, Breandan and me to the hostl, and Stefan and me back?
...I got to sit next to the world champion in the car ride after Worlds?
...he solved my cube?
...he said it'd probably be the last time he'll solve a cube in a week?
...he protected his trophies from the rain with my jacket?
...Breandan was so happy?
...he actually said "I'm so happy"?
...I got a low-res photo of him in the car with my low-on-battery camera?
...Stefan later told me that Breandan told him he would have considered cubing if he'd gotten another 12.xx average in the finals, on the grrounds that he can't do well in comp?
...I'm really glad he didn't?
...in that photo, he looks a lot like a girl in my dorm at Stanford?
...Erik, et al., decided to go to Nora's house for dinner?
...Arnaud gave me strawberry-banana juice to finish?
...we squished 4 Austrians and me into Sanio's Mini Cooper?
...we went to McDonald's to eat?
...they called it "Macky"?
...the cashier gave me a free apple pocket when he asked he how I did and i told him I set the German NR?
...this was the only recognition I received for my NR, from all of Germany?
...Patrick hadn't even announced the NR like he announced others?
...I got some applause from the Austrians at dinner?
...they were out of McFlurrys?
...We hunted for another "Macky" and eventually got them?
...I was dazing in the car?
...the hostel still didn't have internet access?
...nevertheless, I got the photos and vids from Joey's camera onto my computer?
...I introduced the Europeans to the game of Pro Set?
...Clément won the deck of Pro Set cards, and will hopefully bring to to future Eupropean competitions?
...when I moved to Stefan's table, the trophy that I'd moved to the top of my backpack (to take out my laptop) fell out?
...a falling class trophy makes almost no sound?
...a shattering glass trophy sounds so sad?
...Ron was nice enough to offer to send me (through Adam) a spare trophy as a replacement, and I will be careful with it?
...glass trophies should come in cases?
...I stayed up late?
...Sunday night, I checked my email for the first time on the hostel internet booth
...I found out that my friends at Stanford were planning a welcome because they accidentally included my email in planning communications?
...I actually didn't read the emails?
...I gave Stefan and others a hard 7-move F2L conjugate puzzle?
...Laetitia solves a face-turning octahedron using Sunes?
...I gave myself a clean, bleeding cut on carefully wrapped trophy shards?
...it's okay, since I got a bandage (Pflaster) quickly?
...I stayed up until 5AM?
...I walked to the bridge by the lit-up tower and threw two paper airplanes into the Rhine?
...I decided to walk around a few hundred meters to the shore, and dipped my lucky Euro-cent in the river?
...I also dipped my bandaged finger in the river?
...I grew up by the Rhine for 10 years?
...it's called "Rhein" in German?
...I woke up at 7AM?
...at the airport, Lufthansa had automatic chick-in machines?
...I got to choose a window seat?
...during bag-check, I met Pyan Patricio and Phillip Espinoza?
...I accidentally took a screwdriver in my backpack carry-on?
...while waiting for my plane, I overheard some people talking about me as a "speedcuber," and they even got the WR right?
...I suppose that the WR posters did a little bit for public cubing education in Düsseldorrf?
...due to turbulence, I arrived late at Frankfurt?
...the landing was so shaky, there was applause after we touched down?
...I had 20 minutes to transfer flights?
...I made it, despite stopping to buy some last Gummi-Bärchen?
...I forgot to exchange 10€ for coins to give out as souviirs?
...I thought my luggage wouldn't make it to my transfer plane?
...my luggage did make it?
...they thought I wouldn't make it?
...they took the my bag OFF the plane after they put it on, because they thought I wouldn't make it?
...after taking off, we flew over Wiesbaden?
...I didn't cube much on the flight, never got up, and mostly slept and read 1984?
...my luggage is still not delivered?
...it took me two hours to type this up, when I should be sleeping?
...all the European cubers are awesome?
...I want to thank Ron, Ton, Tyson, Jumbo, whoever was involved, for the best competition of my life?
...I want to thank the Germans for being so warm and welcoming?
...I hope the German cubing community grows well?
)
