Solving a Rubik’s cube can be challenging. Right, left, up, down, twist here, twist there and still nothing. But for juniors Sam Ritchie and Bo Nixon, it’s become second nature. 

“The first times I solved one I would be like ‘Oh, yes!’ but now it’s just like ‘Done,’” Sam said.

Both Sam and Bo started solving Rubik’s cubes after they saw their fellow wrestlers solving the cubed puzzle and wanted to try for themselves. Sam started around Christmas time of his eighth grade year while Bo started in January of his freshman year. Once they knew they wanted to solve it, they went on YouTube and watched video after video to figure out how to do it. When they had the basics down, it was all about time and getting faster.

“You have to, like, want to do it,” Bo said. “Like people ask me and they’re like, ‘It’s too hard,’ and I’m like ‘Well, you probably don’t want to do it that bad.’”

Although there are many types of cubes, from five by five to three by three to digital ones, Bo prefers the five by five while Sam prefers the three by three.

“Just the normal one,” Sam said. “I don’t feel too accomplished, but whenever I do a five by five, it’s really hard. It takes me like half an hour to 45 minutes to do it.”

Nowadays, Sam and Bo can be found solving the cubed puzzle, once known as the magic cube, in their free time or after a stats test. Many students have taken notice of their unique ability.

“I would see them all the time at the wrestling meets,” junior Charlene Penrod said. “They would do it before a meet and it would just calm them down.”

No matter how hard it may seem to solve a Rubik’s cube, the boys encourage everyone to try it and not give up. Their biggest tip for anyone that is willing to try it out would be to spend some time watching YouTube videos, and to keep practicing.

“Just stick with it,” Bo said. “It’s really frustrating at first, like you’re not gonna get it on your first time, but once you get started doing it you just want to start doing it faster.”