A team of Speedcubing enthusiasts came to visit us. It all came about thanks to a contact we met at our April 2 day, where we launched together with Kirey Group the “Cyber Rebel” project, aimed at initiating people with autism into the world of Cyber Security. Speedcubing, a real sports discipline based on the speed of solving a Rubik’s cube. The World Cube Association is an associative reality that deals with organizing and regulating competitions, which can be divided into various specialties. It is a very interesting phenomenon and very much related to the amazing abilities of Rebel Brains to easily solve mathematical problems, a reality with which, however, we had never had contact before.
Opening the door to this world for us was our “Cyber Rebel,” Alessio Mortillaro, from Rome and an engineering graduate. Himself a great fan of speedcubing, he offered us an informative seminar on the activity that most engages him at the moment; he prepared for us a Kahoot presentation in which he explained the basics on what we need to know about the “competitive” Rubik’s cube. Even more so, he made it a surprise for us to bring to our Roman HubLab four of his French friends, champions in various specialties, whom he had in his house as guests in those days.
The Rubik’s cube is undoubtedly part of the epic iconography of a large portion of neuro divergent minds. It is blatantly a “rebel brain.” Sheldon Cooper, the main character of “The Big Bang Theory,” who is most representative of the whole gang of hyper-genius nerds who are as clumsy in social relationships.
In some episodes of the highly successful series Sheldon wears precisely a Rubik’s Cube T-shirt, of which he is of course a champion, which has become a gadget sold online.
In our HubLab, on the other hand, Tommy and the others belong to another family of Rebel Brains; it is not certain, however, that they too may not find interest in trying their hand at the colored cube. Alessio is planning to start with the basics, to begin to familiarize even those who have never picked up a cube in their hands with the first simple rotations, just so that even differently functioning kids can attempt to solve one of the world’s most famous dexterity games.
WHO ARE THE FRENCH SPEEDCUBER AND THEIR SUCCESSES
by Alessio Mortillaro
On Tuesday May 2 2023 four French speedcubers came to visit us at Cervelli Ribelli foundation: Juliette, Nicolas, Quentin and Enzo. Juliette was originally sponsorized by QiYi but later she joined team The Cubicle and Speedcubeshop and became a real and truly branded and after became Rubik’s ambassador. She got third place at one handed category (OH) at WCA World Championship 2019. She owns the world fastest single record among women(4.44). This was for a long time the European record (CR). She won several awards including the first place in the women’s category of the Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Cup in November 2022. She was also first in Megaminx at the French Championships in the last weekend.
Nicolas, Nico for his friends, specialized in solving with feet, was in the first place at the French Championships in Lille 2017, with a time of 32.71. He was among the first to 20 in the world. The category unfortunately was cancelled at the end of 2019.
This isn’t Nico’s only skill, he is in fact specialized also in the optimized resolution of moves (FM) and also with one hand(OH). In the first one, Nico equaled the National Recordd (NR) during the last Championships single of 20 moves (photo 1) and obtained the first place.
Regarding instead OH he was the winner during an exciting battle with his friend Juliette (photo 2) realizing even his personal record (PR). He was also the winner of the Coupe de France. He’s sponsorized by the shop plus2cubes.
Quentin ed Enzo are sponsorized by the shop atoutcubes and are respectively the third place in the mother category of the classic cube 3×3 and the second, if it may seem insignificant, is only under ten seconds in solving the classic cube.
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