Can I Help at Competitions?
Yes! And please do. This not only helps the competition run smoothly but also helps your day go more quickly (and lets you understand what is happening more quickly). All competitors are required to help with these roles too. Competitions are run entirely by volunteers. There are two main roles that spectators/parents can help with.
- "Running"1 – this doesn’t involve any actual running. Runners take cubes2 and competitors to judges and the cubes back to the scramble table. It’s very straightforward.
- "Judging"3 – this is easier than it sounds and is your opportunity to sit quietly in a chair. Judges remove the cube cover4 from the cube, start and stop the inspection time stopwatch, and write in the times for the solves.
There is a tutorial at the start of each day of competitions to teach people these roles. There are other parents and spectators that will always be willing to help show you what to do.
Glossary:
1 Someone helping at a cubing competition by taking a cube from the scramble table, finding the applicable competitor and taking them to a solving station where a judge will then supervise their solving. Runners also collect cubes after they have been solved and return them to the scramble table if there are more attempts to complete.
2 Shorthand for any of the twisty-puzzles regardless of the shape.
3 The person responsible for watching a solve to confirm that it was valid and the initial person to record the times on the competitor record sheet.
4 The "box" that goes over a cube to hide it from view before a competitor starts.
1 Someone helping at a cubing competition by taking a cube from the scramble table, finding the applicable competitor and taking them to a solving station where a judge will then supervise their solving. Runners also collect cubes after they have been solved and return them to the scramble table if there are more attempts to complete.
2 Shorthand for any of the twisty-puzzles regardless of the shape.
3 The person responsible for watching a solve to confirm that it was valid and the initial person to record the times on the competitor record sheet.
4 The "box" that goes over a cube to hide it from view before a competitor starts.
Kirsty Grainger, 2023-2024