Competitive Speedcubing Brought This Grandma Closer to Her Teenage Grandsons

Competitive speedcubing really took off in 2004, when the World Cube Association (WCA), the official governing body for competitive speedcubing, was established. The WCA hosts hundreds of competitions annually, worldwide.

Squadron has been competing for close to two years and has participated in 11 competitions, including the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Championship in Philadelphia last fall with Reilly and Theo. Her best time was around 2 minutes, 2 seconds in the 3x3 competition. Her goal is to get “sub-two,” meaning she would solve a 3x3 cube in under 2 minutes. 

“Cubing has opened up a whole new world for me, and paths to go down I’ve never dreamed of,” says Squadron.

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The average age range of competition participants is between 11 and 21, says Zach Ridall, a WCA delegate in Pennsylvania and a WCA Communication team member. And boy, are they fast. “The majority of [participants solve a cube in] around 13 to 17 seconds for the standard 3x3 event,” says Ridall. And the current world record for solving a 3x3 cube is 3.05 seconds.

Squadron is thrilled to participate in speedcubing with her grandkids. “How many activities are there where an 85-year-old grandmother can participate with 14-year-old grandsons? You’re all on the same playing field. It’s really a gift,” she says.

Reilly echoes that sentiment: “Not only have I spent more time with her, but I’ve learned more about her life earlier on. It’s really fun to be able to have something that you share with your grandparents.”

Squadron is also delighted that her social circle continues to grow, saying, “Cubing has opened up my social interaction with the world.” She meets new people at the cubing competitions and has started a cubing club in her apartment building. She would love to start cubing groups for older adults.

Despite the average competitor’s young age and speed, Squadron is determined to show her peers that cubing is great fun — and good for their minds. “I think it is the absolute best activity older adults can take on,” she says. “Think of it. You have to remember sequences and patterns. Then you have to apply them in a certain order, and they’re doable.”

Squadron achieved her most recent goal by completing the 3x3 competition in 1 minute, 48 seconds. Her next goal is to achieve sub-1, meaning she would solve the 3x3 cube in under a minute.

A hobby that keeps the brain active

Within months of picking up her first cube, Anne went from curious novice to discovering a hobby that keeps her brain active. “Show me something new, and I’ll try it,” she says.

Cognitive engagement and continually learning are healthy for older adults, explains Arthur Kramer, emeritus professor of psychology at Northeastern University. “It’s beneficial in that it keeps people active and continues to challenge them,” he says.

“You don’t have to be brilliant to cube, and you don’t have to know math; you just have to decide you’re gonna learn it,” says Squadron. She has arthritis in her hands and finds that manipulating the cube helps alleviate the pain. “You don’t have to be agile. You don’t have to hike. You can sit. You have to want to do it.”

New social connections are especially beneficial for people in the over-50 community. “Social interaction is a way to slow or prevent some aspects of age-related decline in cognition and brain function,” says Kramer.

At a recent competition, Squadron met Gary Miller, 80, a retired chemistry teacher from Williamsburg, Virginia, who started cubing in 2023. Miller says that cubing competitions have helped him travel a lot more than he would have otherwise. He attends the competitions with his daughter, Sarah Kim, 46, and his grandsons, who all compete. In fact, it was Kim who signed her dad up for a competition not long after he got his first cube.

“He was forced to learn [how to cube] over the summer, which was good for him because [the competitions] got him out of the house,” Kim says. “They give him a goal to strive for.”

Miller has now won several world records for his age group, and his family posts his achievements on the Facebook group “Senior Cubers Worldwide.”

Through cubing, both Miller and Squadron have gained friends, expanded their worlds and found a way to keep their minds active later in life.

“Cubing has opened up a whole new world for me, and paths to go down I’ve never dreamed of,” says Squadron. “You are never too old to do something astonishing. I am 85 years old, and this is one of the most astonishing things that has ever happened to me. I plan to do more astonishing things.”