Q. How do I register for this competition?

A. Registration for this competition opens on Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM Central and will be open until Friday, November 8, 2024 at 11:59 PM Central. You'll need a WCA Account to register. Once registration has opened, you can register at the register button to your left or at this link. Select the events you'll be competing in and add any comments you'd like the organization team to know. After pressing Register, you'll be prompted to pay using Stripe. You must pay your registration fee to be eligible to compete. If there is still space in the competition and you do not receive an email saying your registration has been accepted within 48 hours of paying, please contact the organization team.

Q. How can I prepare for the competition day?

A. Competitors should understand the WCA Regulations before competing. For something a little more digestable, you can read the WCA Competitor Tutorial or watch this video guide. We will have a New Competitor Tutorial at the beginning of the day where you can learn and ask questions.

Q. Who should I ask if I have any questions?

A. Before the competition, you can contact the organization team with any questions with our contact form. During the competition, you can speak to a delegate. Your delegates for this competition are Shain Longbehn and Lisa Kucala.

Q. What are groups? How can I find which ones I'm in?

A. Groups are how we determine when each competitor competes. During each round, we will have several groups that will be called up in succession. When the group in which you're supposed to compete is called, please come up to the cube dropoff table and submit your puzzle. When the group you're judging is called, come up and find an empty station to judge. Groups will be emailed to competitors or in a tab on this website in the week leading up to the competition.

Q. Do competitors need to volunteer? How do I do that?

A. We require that all competitors volunteer as Judges during the competition day. You will be assigned a group to judge in. We will go over judging in our New Competitor Tutorial.

Q. How old do I have to be to compete?

A. WCA Competitions are open to cubers of any age! We do not have age groups so all competitors compete with each other.

Q. What do I need to bring to the competition?

A. You'll need to bring the puzzles required for any event you'll be competing in. Most competitors like to bring other cubes to warm up with. All timing equipment will be supplied by the WCA Delegates at the competition.

Q. Where can I find results for this competition?

A. Live results will be visible on the WCA Live and will be posted on the WCA Website shortly after the competition. If it's your first competition, you'll get a WCA ID when results are posted to the WCA Website.

Q. How can I have a competition in my hometown?

A. You can contact the Minnesota delegates by email here. We would love to help you organize a comp anywhere in Minnesota and bordering states!

For each event, competitors are called to compete one group at a time. To facilitate this, all competitors will be assigned to a specific group for each event. Judging, running, and scrambling assignments for helping out at the competition are also listed for each competitor.

Each competitor will receive a lanyard with their assignments. Once registration closes, assignments will also be available online here.

Live results will be available here during the event.

No outside food is allowed in our competition venue. Please consider these great food options during your time in Austin.

Recommended local eateries:

• 1910 Fresh Locally-owned fresh Mexican fare with entrees like Chipotle-style burritos, fish tacos, quesadillas, salads and more. Barbacoa tacos are a local favorite! Order ahead online for quick pickup. https://1910fresh.com/
• Coffee House on Main Owned by a local couple, open for breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Custom-built sandwiches on specialty breads, wraps, paninis, espressos and decadent homemade baked goods. http://www.coffeehouseonmain.co/menu.html
• Superfresh Need some Saturday-morning donuts? This place is a regional favorite for its superb bakery and seasonal produce market. Opens at 8am. https://www.superfreshaustin.com/
• Pho Kayah Owned by a wonderful local family, delicious steamy bowls of noodles and curries with your favorite protein, plus boba. https://www.facebook.com/p/Pho-Kayah-100088861470773/
• Piggy Blues This is the hometown source for tender flavorful shredded pork sandwiches and platters with homestyle sides. Avoid ordering burgers and battered items during the lunch rush. Everything is cooked to order and the time to prepare these may delay your return to cubing. Also take a look at their SPAM menu, because you are in SPAMtown afterall. https://www.piggybluesbbq.com/
• Tender-maid Visit this hometown sandwich counter for premium seasoned crumbled ground beef on a bun, topped with signature sauces and extras. This shop is a recommended local import in the style of Iowa Maid-Rite sandwiches. https://www.facebook.com/TheTendermaid/

Nearby chains:

• Dominos Order ahead with timed pickup in the app or online
• Culver's
• Subway
• McDonald's
• Q'doba
• Hy-Vee take-out counters sushi, Chinese, homestyle entrees and sides, bakery, salad bar
• Wahlburger at Hy-Vee
• Arby's
• KFC
• Jimmy John's

If you have some time before or after cubing to soak up some local flavor, visit these local attractions:

• SPAM Museum FREE. Austin is home to the world-wide headquarters of Hormel Foods and its many subsidiaries. The SPAM Museum is well done with self-deprecating humor and a chance to explore the storied history and global reach of SPAM. You will be welcomed by a SPAMbassador and offered SPAMples of the many varieties of SPAM. Embrace the SPAM. https://www.spam.com/museum
• JC Hormel Nature Center FREE. This forested nature reserve is home to a beautiful interpretive center, walking paths, a fire tower, and nature programming. Come here for a chance to spot wildlife, explore accessible trails, and learn about the natural history of the Austin area. https://www.hormelnaturecenter.org/
• Austin Bruins v Aberdeen Wings Hockey at the Riverside Arena, 501 2nd Ave NE. Saturday after cubing, 7:30 pm-9pm. Go Bruins! https://www.austinbruins.com/
• Caravan du Nord: Mae Simpson with Maygen + The Birdwatcher and special guest Amanda Grace Paramount Theatre, 125 4th Ave NE. Saturday after cubing, 7:30 pm. The Caravan du Nord is a traveling showcase of Minnesota music, bringing top regional acts, emerging bands and music industry professionals. https://www.austinareaarts.org/paramount-events