Many students at PHS have their own hobbies they enjoy outside of school. These hobbies might include skateboarding, drawing, or painting. However, for junior Michael Hall, his hobby is cubing with Rubik’s cubes.
Hall began his cubing journey in the late summer of 2017 when he was scrolling through eBay searching for things to purchase. He came across a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube for only two dollars. Hall remembers solving his first cube and all obstacles and struggles that came with it.
“When the cube arrived, I stayed up all night completing my first solve using the beginner’s method,” said Hall.
Since Hall has been cubing for roughly six months now, he has formed opinions on which parts he enjoys and which parts are his least favorite. Memorization is key to become an advanced cuber, and Hall learned that lesson fast.
“My favorite part about cubing is memorizing the algorithms, then getting to see how some simple algorithms can solve a complex cube. I also enjoy the mental challenge that cubing brings,” said Hall.
After some time in the cubing world, Hall has set up some goals in his mind. By the end of the year, Hall’s goal is to consistently solve a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube in under 20 seconds. His best time is 25 seconds, but he averages around 35 seconds to solve. Since purchasing his first cube on eBay, Hall has bought nine more cubes. All his cubes are very unique in shape and size and are as follows: the standard 3x3x3, 2x2x2, 4x4x4, 5x5x5, Skewb, Pyraminx, Megaminx, Mirror cube, 3x3x1 cuboid and Square-1.
“Each cube takes a different amount of time to solve, based on the difficulty. However, a lot of the cubes use the same algorithms to complete, so that is a plus side,” said Hall.
Hall discovered his hobby for cubing when he took a chance in trying something new. When taking this chance, he realized how much he enjoyed cubing. Hall’s passion for cubing will carry on throughout his life and can benefit him in many mental aspects of his life.
“I would like to put to rest the myth that cubing is extremely hard and involves a lot of math. Cubing involves virtually no math, only the memorization of algorithms and the intuition to put the right piece in the right spot. Anyone can learn to cube,” said Hall.
Story by Jace Ingle
