Rubic’s Cube competitors from throughout the northeast gathered at Franklin High School Dec. 13 for the first FHS Red Cross Cubing tournament.
Yes, this is a thing.

The event drew more than 100 competitors, aged 6 to 18 years, said Shaun Guru, president of the high school’s American Red Cross Club. The day-long event was used as a fundraiser for the club, he said.
One of the club’s executive board members, Justin Mallari, suggested to Guru that the club hold the competition, Guru said.
Mallari, who, like Guru, is a junior at the high school, is also a two-time national champion in one-handed Rubic’s Cube competitions.
“Justin brought the idea to me and I loved it,” Guru said.
The event featured seven different types of cubes, in various sizes and shapes. Each competitor was given several attempts at solving. Competitors were ranked by the averages of their individual speeds.
“There hasn’t been a competition since August here in New Jersey, so I wanted to bring one to all the competitors because they’ve been asking for one for a while now,” Mallari said.

Mallari has been competing since 2010. He said he became interested in competing when he was able to solve the puzzle in fewer than 50 seconds.
Guru said the club will donate whatever proceeds the event raises to the American Red Cross at the end of the school year.