95-year-old speedcuber says “never give up” after breaking record as oldest in his sport

Within the halls of the Two Buffalo Cube Days 2026 event in West Seneca, New York, USA this 18 January, the rooms were filled with the sounds of clacking cubes and muffled conversations intermixed with wild cheering. Yet despite the serious scores achieved by these nimble-fingered youthful competitors, a 95-year-old man was breaking some incredible records of his own.

After successfully completing three solves on his 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 rotating puzzle cubes, American Frank Ziemenski officially became the oldest competitive speedcuber in history, claiming the crown just nine days after his 95th birthday. 

During the event, he also bagged three unofficial titles in the World Cube Association’s over-90s category: the fastest time to solve a 3x3x3 rotating puzzle cube (5 min 49.75 sec), and the fastest single and average times to solve a 2x2x2 rotating puzzle cube (1 min 17.03 sec, and 2 min 26.27 sec, respectively).

“I was hesitant about the competition, but found it was fun,” said Frank to GWR. “It was exciting, and winning the record felt great!”

Frank began his record-breaking cubing journey in 1980, just six years after the Rubix cube was invented. He described being “mystified” by the rotating puzzle, and with a curious mind, he got out a book and started researching ways to solve the cube – kickstarting his 40-year-long love for the sport.

“I still like cubing because it is fun to do,” he said.

Read more stories about record-breaking seniors in our dedicated Hobbies and Skills section!

His professional speedcubing adventures were a recent development, however – after he joined the Buffalo Speed Cube Club at the Orchard Park Library. 

Most of the group members were between the ages of eight and 16 years old, so when Frank joined, they initially thought he was a parent or grandparent dropping off a younger member. Yet they told their local news page that they quickly bonded with the nonagenarian, particularly after he brought out his handmade cubing cheatsheets that he made in the ‘80s.

“The kids have a new method now, so I wanted to find out what they're doing,” said Frank to WKBW News Buffalo. "I don't think I could do it in two minutes, but I think I could do it in five!”

Yet sure enough, with a little practice – and lots of support from his family and his club – Frank showed up at the competition in West Seneca, ready to make history. 

Armed with techniques learned from his younger compatriots (“[they] were so knowledgeable and helpful”) and cheered on by his loved ones, Frank sat down at the table, and began what his daughters described as 'his Super Bowl'. 

Yet sure enough, three attempts later, the silver-haired speedcuber had secured his crown – even achieving his goal of solving the 3x3x3 rotating puzzle cube in under six minutes!

“I want people to know that no matter what age, be persistent, and never give up,” said Frank after celebrating his accomplishment. 

And he promises that in the future, he will do the same, by continuing to compete as long as he is physically able. 

So congratulations, Frank, on your successful speedcubing record – you are now Officially Amazing!