Travel to the Venue:

By Air

The closest airports to the venue that have consistent passenger service:

Worcester (ORH) - 22 mi
Manchester (MHT) - 30 mi
Boston Logan (BOS) - 43 mi
Providence (PVD) - 62 mi
Hartford (BDL) - 64 mi

The organization team recommends flying into Boston as it has the most passenger service and the cheapest flights, however, any of the other four should be suitable.

By Train

The Fitchburg Line, operated by the MBTA Commuter Rail, stops in Fitchburg approx 2 miles away from the venue. The station is a 5 minute drive to the school, or a 2 mile walk.

By Car

Fitchburg is easily accessible from Boston via Massachusetts Route 2. From Southern New England, take either Interstate 91/Route 2 or interstate 190 to Fitchburg. From Northern New England states, take interstate highways and transfer towards Route 2. For the best optimal route, use a GPS app.

Hotels

The area has plenty of hotels nearby to accomodate competitors in Leominster, about 10 minutes southeast of the venue. Vacation rentals and AirBNBs are also frequent throughout the town. If you have younger children, there is a Great Wolf Lodge located in Fitchburg that is a fun option.

Food

Competitors will be responsible for finding their own food during the competition. Fitchburg has plenty of food options within driving distance of the venue.

Registration Process

Before You Register

All prospective registrants need a WCA account. New competitors can create their own WCA account by clicking here and entering the required information.

How to Register Online

Prospective competitors register by:
1. Signing into their WCA account;
2. Clicking "Register" on the left side of this webpage, selecting the events they would like to compete in, and submitting their registration;
3. Paying the registration fee of 25 USD. Your registration is not complete until you have paid the registration fee.

The competitor limit for this competition is 100. The list of approved competitors can be found by clicking "Competitors" on the left side of this webpage. If there are already 100 competitors on that list, it means the competition is full, and any future registrants will be placed on the waitlist.

Competitors MUST register and pay online in order to compete. No at-the-door registrations or payments will be accepted.

Any requested changes to registration before 7:00 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2025 will be honored. Your registration is not complete until your name shows up on the list.

How to Pay for Registration Online

Payment is processed through Stripe. Click on the "Register" tab on the left side of the webpage to register and pay all in one place! You can start the payment process by clicking "Pay your fees with card."

Refunds

Approved competitors who cancel their registration before 7:00 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2025 are eligible for a refund for half (50%) of their registration cost. After this date, no refund requests will be honored. Filing chargebacks from your credit card or Stripe affects our ability to run competitions; we reserve the right not to honor your future registrations if you file a chargeback.

Waitlist Information

If this competition fills, competitors who register will be added to the waitlist. In order to secure a place on the waitlist, you must pay the registration fee. If enough spots open up before 7:00 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2025, you will be notified and accepted to the competition. After that deadline, all remaining competitors on the waitlist will be emailed letting them know they did not get off the waitlist and will be fully refunded.

This is my first competition, how does it work?
Welcome! We're glad that you'll be joining us!

Before the competition, we recommend reviewing the WCA Regulations, the WCA's tutorial, and this video which covers the basics of competing. We will be hosting a new competitor tutorial before the competition starts, check the schedule for details.

Do I use my own cube?
Yes, you will need to bring your own for each puzzle you're competing in.

How old do I have to be to compete?
Our events are competitors of all ages. Most competitors are between 10 and 16 years old, though we often have competitors as young as 7, and as old as 50+, so regardless of your age, you won't be out of place!

Where are results posted?
During the competition, we'll be posting live results on WCA Live.

When should I arrive?
Take a look at the "Schedule" tab. If this is your first competition, we recommend arriving before the New Competitor Tutorial begins. You can leave after your last event ends, or you are welcome to stay as long as you'd like.

What if I have more questions?
You can use the "Contact" link on the "General info" tab to reach the organizers and WCA Delegates. During the competition, feel free to ask any of us if you have any questions -- most of us will be wearing blue polo shirts.

What is Cube New England?
Cube New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which organizes competitions in New England. You can find more information on our website.

The top 3 competitors in each event will receive certificates. Unfortunately we are not able to provide cash or gift cards to winners.

Interested in helping out?

Our competitions rely on all competitors to help out with juding, scrambling, and running. The volunteer staff is generally expected to help out for the whole day, not just events they're competing in, especially with:
* Running
* Scrambling
* Data Entry
* Miscellaneous jobs that come up throughout the day
* Later Rounds, where we don't have job assignments

If you are interested in helping out, please apply via this form no later than 7:00 PM EST on Friday, February 1, 2025 We often have more applicants than we're able to accept; apologies if this is the case. If you are selected, you'll receive lunch and refunded registration.

Note: Registration fees are only refunded after the competition, assuming that you fulfill the expectations of the job.

Running Judges

This competition will use a different format from usual competitions in New England called "Running Judges." Previous competitions in New England use a "Runners and Judges" system where competitors are called to a station by a runner, with a stationary judge.

What is Running Judges?

Running Judges is a system that differs in two primary ways:

• The competitor will remain at the same station for all five of their solves
• The role of the runner and the judge are combined. The "running judge" will take the cube to the station and judge the competitor.

How does it work?

On the submission table, you will see your scorecard with an assigned station number. Drop off your cube, and go to the station number that is assigned. After this, the running judges will take the cubes to the scrambling table and form a line.

When the cubes are scrambled, the running judges will take a puzzle to the assigned station number on the scorecard, and judge that competitor's solve as normal. After the competitor is finished, the running judge will take the cube back to the scrambling table, and then either wait for another cube, or grab an upright cube. The running judge should NOT wait for the competitor's cube that they just judged, they should grab the first cube available. This process is repeated until all competitors are done with their solves.