Mathæus Andersen
Reporter
It is Friday early afternoon, and Cutter’s Cubing, a club from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), is packing up. They are getting ready for their five-hour drive to Spokane in a PLU van.
Cutter’s Cubing, led by their President Christian Cutter, has trained PLU students for their first tournament of the semester. The club successfully taught over 25 students during the academic year. Now 10 of them are getting ready to represent their countries in the big tournament, nine of them representing the USA and one representing Denmark. The crew headed out for spokane at noon that day, their backpacks full of cubes and their fingers warmed up.
The first thing on the agenda after their five-hour drive was dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. PLU had graciously sponsored their meals as well as the motel. But here, a problem arose. The hotel owner declared that the transaction from PLU had not been processed correctly, and the rooms were therefore not paid. Reserved, but not paid. After the hotel owner failed to reach PLU, team member Matt Shaps stepped up and paid the bill until PLU could reimburse him. The team was divided into four rooms, and the rest of the evening consisted of practice and memorizations before the big tournament in the morning.
At 7:00 am, the alarms went off. Within an hour, the whole team was gathered in front of the PLU van wearing Cutter’s Cubing Club Merch. They drove off to the venue with the breakfast they had bought from a grocery store the night before. They each grabbed their nametag in the big sports hall, where tables were set up for contestants to practice before their round. In the cubing world, there are different kinds of cubes, formally known as events. Some members participate in more than one event while the others cheer them on. Nonetheless, all club members participate in the 3×3 event. The nervous attention from the new cubers was high, but the moral support of the other club members was even higher. Several members beat their record.
After several hours the club members got a late lunch and discussed their results. This is when some members received the news that they progressed to the next round. During this second round, the other members decided to go to Coeur d’Alene in Idaho to enjoy a quick view of the lake there and the sunset. The cubers who stayed in Spokane for the second round joined later and the whole group set a new course: home.
The PLU van was filled with the excitement of the accomplishments of the weekend as tiredness finally set in. After arriving at PLU around 11:00 pm, the club split ways.
If you want to learn how to cube, or are hoping to refresh your skills, the club is open to all PLU students. Contact Christian Cutter for more details at christian.cutter@plu.edu.
If you are interested in supporting those on the team, you are also more than welcome to come and watch them Saturday, March 19, in the Anderson University Center from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can also find Cutter’s Cubing Club on their Instagram @cuttercubing
