All Competitors

No outsite food or drink is allowed in the venue

Competitor Check-In and Tutorial
Competitors should check in between 8:30-9:00AM. This is where you will receive your nametag.
The Competitor Tutorial is mandatory for new competitors (and parents) and strongly reccommended for all competitors. The Competitor Tutorial is at 8:45 AM.

Expectations and Clarifications

• You are expected to be familiar with the WCA Regulations and Guidelines. Article A is most important for speedsolving events
• You are expected to help judge. You should judge for at least one group of every event you compete in. You may be assigned to judge throughout the day. You may be disqualified if you refuse to judge when asked.
• If you want a refresher on how to compete or judge, you can read the WCA Competitor Tutorial.
• You must NOT talk about scrambles or what specific algorithm(s) you did while the event is still in progress. This is considered cheating and grounds for disqualification (Regulation 2g3)
• Make sure all screens of any cameras or phones you have on the table are facing away from you and do not touch them during the attempt; otherwise, this will result in a DNF (Regulation 2i2). Electronic/bluetooth cubes (ex. Giiker cube, GOcube, GAN356i) are not permitted under the same regulation.
• Please treat the venue with respect. Pick up any trash, and leave the venue better than how you found it.
• We are not responsible for your belongings or puzzles. Keep track of your own belongings/puzzles and be respectful of others and their belongings.

Spectators/Families

• Only one guest is allowed per competitor. However, no prior registration is required for guests.
• Flash photography is NOT allowed in the venue, as it is very distracting.

Live Results & Schedule

• You can find live results for the competition on WCA Live. A few days after the competition, the results will be uploaded to WCA officially.
• We reserve the right to alter the schedule in any way. We may alter the number of competitors proceeding to the next round. We may eliminate a round altogether. This all depends on if we run ahead or behind of the planned schedule.
• We may start a round early. Please make sure you are at the venue at least 20 minutes prior to an event you are competing in.
• We will be using regulation 9p3 for all final rounds. If you are not present when a final starts, you will be withdrawn from that final.

COVID-19 Safety
We strongly recommend being vaccinated for COVID-19 (and Influenza) prior to the competition. Wearing a mask during the competition is recommended.
You may not attend this competition if you have had COVID-19 in the last 10 days prior to the competition.
The Organizers, WCA, and venue do not hold any responsibility or liability if you become ill. You are attending this competition at your own risk.

People You Should Know
Your WCA Delegates for this competition are Zachary Ochs, Cady Shields, Jacob Ambrose, and Katie Hull. Your Organizer is Nathan Smith. Ask them if you have any questions throughout the day! Please know that all Delegates, Organizers, and Competition Staff are unpaid volunteers.

NOTE: THERE IS NO STANDARD 3x3x3 CUBE EVENT HELD AT THIS COMPETITION. All competitors at all skill levels are welcome, however most of the events held at the competition are more advanced. The only two sighted events are 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube. The rest of the events are blindfolded or 3x3 Fewest Moves (which is writing out a solution to a scramble in 1 hour). We will NOT be teaching competitors how to do these events. Competitors are expected to know how to compete in the events they register for.

For those of you new to cubing, WELCOME!
We just ask you know a couple things before coming to compete...

First, please be familiar with the WCA Regulations, found here:
https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/

In accordance with the WCA Competition Safety Policy, competing procedures will be altered. We will go over those changes during the Competitor Tutorial in the morning. However, this video will help explain most of what any cuber competing for the first time will need to know. It is highly suggested that parents watch this video as well.

A written competitor tutorial can be found here.

If you have any questions after this video, we will be having a new competitor tutorial in the morning of the competition. That would be the perfect time to ask those questions and clear up any confusion.

If you are stoked to compete and ready to sign up, head over to the registration tab, click register, and fill out the information it asks for. This will help you get set up the WCA's system and one step closer to your first official solve!

Additionally:

• Please bring some form of identification. This will be used to verify your name, birthday, and nationality. (something like a passport or school ID).
• Please be familiar with all of WCA's regulations, most importantly Article A. If you have any questions about the regulations, feel free to ask us.
• In each event we will have rounds. We will take the top competitors on to the subsequent rounds. After a round is completed, results will be entered into WCA Live. Your name will be highlighted if you made it to the next round.
• Each round will be divided into groups to help them run more efficiently. We will call the groups in order. Please bring your solved puzzle up to the station with your scorecard. We are allowed to deny you the ability to compete if you do not come up when your assigned group is called.

Click the FAQ tab to find the answers to commonly asked questions.

Q: Do I use my own cube to compete?
A: YES! You are responsible providing your own hardware in order to compete.

Q: What are some examples of puzzles that are not allowed?
A: Electronic cubes (such as Giiker, GOcube, or GAN356i), carbon fiber stickers, significantly damaged stickers, faces missing stickers (note: completely stickerless cubes are allowed), and/or cubes missing pieces. Please see Article 3 of the regulations for more details.

Q: Are Delegates, Organizers, and Competition Staff paid?
A: No, no one is paid for their work. Delegates, Organizers, and Staff are all unpaid volunteers who do this in our free time often at our own expense.

Q: Are spectators allowed?
A: Competitors are permitted to bring one guest (i.e. a parent) with them to the competition. Competitors ages 16 and older are encouraged to come alone to limit the number of people in the venue. Spectators who are not accompying a competitor are not permitted.

Q: I have a question, who should I contact?
A: If you have any questions about this competition, please email the organizers and be sure to include your name in the email.

Q: What is the average age of competitors at these events?
A: All ages are welcome, but in general competitors are between 10 and 25 years old. Don't let this stop you though - everyone can and should cube! There will be competitors of all ages present.

Q: How fast do you have to be to compete?
A: If you can solve the standard 3x3x3 Cube in under 10 minutes, then you should compete! Other events often have cutoffs or time limits. Please see the Events Tab to learn about those events.

Q: What is the competition like?
A: Competitions are a bunch of tables where nerds like us get to sit and discuss our favorite thing - cubes! Of course there is also competing, which will occupy one side of the competition hall, where you will see lots of timers flickering with contestants' new personal bests. Most competitions have a break for lunch, and the competing is split up into groups, as to better organize who competes when. (Check the Groups tab and listen at the competition for more info on this.)

Q: How do I find results?
A: All results are posted on the WCA page a couple days after the competition finishes. However, for the day of the competition, go to WCA Live to find information about current events. This is also where you will find information about the 2nd and 3rd rounds of events. Results have to be entered in by hand and will not appear immediately on WCA Live; please be patient with us as we work to upload results as quickly as possible.

Q: Why am I not on the competitors list yet?
A: Registrations must be approved manually, so please give us time to accept your registration. Registration is likely to fill very quickly for this competition. Registrations are accepted in the order of payment. A waitlist will form once 20 registrants have paid. Even if you register the same day that registration opens, the competition might already be full. If you have additional concerns please email us.

Q: Are there age or gender divisions?
A: Nope! All competitors compete in the same division.

Q: Can I have fun at this event?
A: HECK YES! Cubing is amazing, and we sincerely hope you enjoy the competition!

Location: Popp Martin Student Union (8845 Craver Rd, Charlotte, NC 28262)

Room Details:
Room 340GH located on the 3rd floor of the student union, just across from the central staircase. Elevators will be towards the entrance to the food court behind the main staircase

Parking:
Union Deck (Floors 4-6)

Lunch: On campus options:
Wendy's (First Floor Student Union)
Bojangles (First Floor Student Union)
Starbucks (First Floor Student Union)

Nearby options (Right beside the Harris Teeter on University City Blvd less than a mile away):
Subway
Moe's Southwest Grill
Dunkin'
Hardee's

Live results can be found on WCA Live.

Results from the competition will be submitted and uploaded officially to WCA within a week after the competition.

Groups:

Keep up with the latest cubing happenings in the Southeast by connecting with us on social media!

Cubing Southeast Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/491409969462797
WCA - Southeast, USA Discord server: https://discord.gg/hp7DSmtReb

Below is the Waitlist Policy:

After the competition reaches 30 complete registrations, a waitlist will be created. You must pay to be placed on the waitlist. If you are at the top of the waiting list and someone cancels their registration, you will receive an email from the organizers stating that your registration is accepted. The email address that will be used is the one linked to your WCA account. Please make sure that the email linked to your WCA account is one you check regularly.

• You do not have a spot at the competition until you receive a confirmation email with the subject line: "Your registration for Niner Nation Silence 2024 has been accepted." Do not make travel plans until you receive the acceptance email and see your name on the competitors list.
• After the competition, all competitors on the waiting list will recieve a refund for the registration.
• Once registration closes, no additional registrations may be submitted. No exceptions.