Written by Ashley Mackin-Solomon for the La Jolla Light
Be honest — how long would it take you to solve a Rubik’s Cube? A few minutes? A few hours? Days? Never?
Looking not only to finish one of the perplexing puzzle cubes but to do so in less than a minute, a club formed recently at La Jolla Elementary School to practice “speed cubing.” During weekly Wednesday-afternoon meetings at the La Jolla/Riford Library, students get together to practice cubing, teach others, exchange advice and tips and watch videos about it.
The club generally is for two types of Rubik’s gamers, according to La Jolla Elementary fourth-grader Shareef Sabir, the club founder: those who are brand new to the cube and those whose skills are more intermediate. But once everyone is able to solve a cube, Shareef plans to change things up to focus on speed, he said.
“We’re doing everything cubing,” he said. “It’s fun and it’s a challenge. The satisfaction of getting a new record on a cube is really fun, and then it can be challenging to learn new methods. It’s also cool to be able to solve it fast.”
Local kids practice puzzle cubes at the La Jolla/Riford Library. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
Read the full article from the La Jolla Light: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/01/31/the-need-for-speed-la-jolla-elementary-students-form-speed-cubing-club/