New "Batch" of Speedcubers?

This is a post I have been wondering about doing for a few months now. It’s kind of hard to imagine, but I think this is kind of the year to start asking about it. Who are the next “batch” of top speedcubers, so to speak? Who will start taking the podium when people like Feliks have all moved on in life? Will it mark a decline in the sport entirely?

I only ask questions like this because of the surprising news I heard a few weeks back straight off of Kevin Hays’s YouTube page. He made the announcement when he was talking about his Cubicle sponsorship, that this summer would be his last in the professional cubing world. He said he had to move on with his life and think about the rest of his college life and his working career beyond that. And it scared me a little to hear that. Sitting in a video in front of me was one of the world’s premier speedcubers, someone who has had so many world records and podiums in countless events, I won’t spend the time to look them up. This guy sitting in front of me, whose life had been intertwined with speedcubing for many years now, said he’s stopping after the summer. It got me thinking, who else? Who else is going to have to move on with their life and push cubing into the back ground, only to slowly disappear? When I think about it, Feliks is only a few years younger than Kevin, and Matts is the same age as Feliks. The cubing world as we know it will soon be out some of the best speedcubers ever to exist.

So now we have to wonder, who will take their place? I know I want too, but I can only average 13 seconds with a good warm up and some decent scrambles. It would take me a long time to average 7 or 8 seconds in order to be on top. But how about someone else? We need to inspire others so we can have a next batch of speedcubers. More than this, we need to inspire ourselves, so we don’t lose this awesome community we have constructed. So this is where I ask you, who do you think is next? Someone who already averages 9 seconds and just needs a push? Or a friend you have that has never picked up a cube? Will they be the next Feliks? Give them a chance, and see if they will take it.