Rubik’s Cube Club has gotten off to a slow start since it began this past March. With only about three members, founder Will Sheehan, a sophomore, has worked hard to get the word out.
“I pretty much told any of the few members that we’ve had so far to tell each of their friends. I told my teachers to get it out there. I put posters up all over the place. I got on Tuesday Tidbits,” he explains.
The reason for the low turnout, he believes, stems from two sources: spring sports and intimidation. Spring sports began around the same time as Rubik’s Cube Club, and many ETHS students have been occupied with athletics. But more importantly, with their infinite combinations of colors and moves, Rubik’s Cubes themselves may seem daunting to potential club members.
“It’s been a slow turnout, I believe due to the intimidation of learning how to solve a Rubik’s Cube,” Sheehan says.
But according to Sheehan, the process of solving a Rubik’s Cube is simpler than it looks, and students should not be deterred from joining.
“It is not that difficult. It’s not based on intelligence. It’s based on your ability to memorize and understand pattern recognition,” he remarks.
Students of all experience levels are encouraged to join, from those who have never touched a Cube to experienced solvers.
“The whole point of the club right now is that you would grow your skills, and you could join at any time,” Sheehan states. However, he explains, it is better for students to join at the start of the year, so that they can learn and progress throughout.
Right now, Sheehan teaches club members through links in the club’s Google Classroom. In the future, as the club grows, he hopes to develop a method of breakout rooms, where club members with Rubik’s Cube experience teach less-experienced members one of four specific skills.
“Depending on which step you need to work on, you could then go and improve and get better,” he describes.
Sheehan himself is a skilled Rubik’s Cube solver, with an average solving time of about 30 seconds. In the future, he would like to grow the Rubik’s Cube community at ETHS and at schools in the surrounding area so that he could put his skills to the test in competitions against their teams. Although he claims this scenario is a “pipe dream and very, very far in the future,” he already knows where the competitions could be held.
“ETHS would be an amazing venue,” he admits.
Students interested in Rubik’s Cube Club should check out the club on Fridays after school in the Hub.
