Introduction
The worst feeling before a competition is feeling unprepared. The fear and nervousness of something unexpected coming up at the competition venue and all your hard work going to waste is a nightmare for a lot of cubers, mostly for first timers or new competitors. To alleviate this issue, we have a simple list of all the things you might need at the competition so you can be prepared for any inconvenience at the venue.
1. Lubricants
Lubricants are a must-carry kind of accessory when it comes to cubing competitions. You might want that extra edge by tuning your puzzle according to your requirements. Some lubricants are not long lasting, so it’s a smart move to carry them along with you even though you’ve set up your cube before the competition. Carrying weight 5 lubricants is unnecessary but you need to carry a weight 1 watery lubricant for the pieces to speed up the cube and a weight 3 lube to slow it down. My recommendations would be Cubelelo Velocity Weight 1 Lubricant, and Cubelelo Classic Weight 3 Lubricant.
2. Cube Bags and/or Pouches
Personally, I like to keep my cubes scratch free and clean, so I opt to use cube pouches and keep all of my cubes in one of my bags. You can also use specific cube bags to carry your puzzles to the competition.
3. A Jacket
A competition venue is very unexpected. It might even be the peak of the summer but the venue might have strong air conditioning which can make your hands and body lose heat pretty fast. Cubing with cold hands is not fun at all, and cubing while shivering? That’s a whole different story! So make sure to carry a jacket in your bag even if you think you’re not going to use it.
4. A Mini Towel
If you have sweaty palms, a mini towel is a must. Sweaty palms can make the cube slip out of your hands, wasting precious seconds during a solve. Even if your hands don’t normally sweat, I would still recommend carrying a mini towel because hand sweating can also be caused by nervousness and by feeling anxious. Just in case!
5. A Screwdriver
It isn’t necessary that you’re gonna be happy with the way you set up your cube leading up to the competition. You might wanna either tighten the tensions a little bit if you’re losing control or loosen the tensions if you’re locking up a lot. Instead of running around the venue asking for a mini screwdriver to set up your cube, carry it yourself! If your cube doesn’t cube a screwdriver for tensioning, carry whatever tool that came along with the cube for tensioning purposes!
6. Snacks (Optional)
Hey, if you’re hungry, I’m not judging! You might wanna carry a few snacks to keep your energy levels high during a competition. Food might not be readily available at the venue and you must always be prepared!
7.Camera (Optional, if you plan on recording your solves)
Carry your Camera / Mobile and tripod if you plan on recording solves! It is fun to record solves and look back on them! You might also want to record your solves to analyze them later and fix your mistakes. Make sure you read all the rules in the WCA website regarding proper use of cameras.
9.Hand Warmer (Optional)
If your hands get too cold even when you’re not really feeling cold, you might need hand warmers. You can use them in between solves and it becomes a really convenient tool to quickly warm up your hands before a solve to ensure non-jittery movement during solves! If you don’t have hand warmers, you can just try sitting on your hands (sounds funny, but it works!) or rubbing your hands together like a supervillain plotting out his master plan!
Conclusion
This is all that a speedcuber needs for a competition. So gather these items and walk into the venue feeling super confident!
Happy cubing!
