What? We finished first?!
St Paul’s Winter Carnival puts on a highly anticipated speed puzzling contest every January with competitors flying in from multiple states.
Excitingly, team Puzzle Moms took first place in the group 2 division.
Let’s look back at this year’s contest and share some of our experience.
The chill in the air was not the only thing giving us goosebumps as we park in a parking ramp in St. Paul, Minnesota and walk across Landmark Plaza.
The excitement of arriving at the Landmark Center could be seen on all the many faces of competitors waiting in line to check in.
After the fifty or so people who got there before us checked in, group Puzzle Moms checked in, and found a table somewhat in the middle.
~Some of the things we look for in table location are lighting and a smooth table surface. Unfortunately, we settled on a large table that was too big to comfortably work on, so we made a mental note to arrive earlier next year.
A few announcements were made prior to starting, and we were introduced to the rules. The brown paper bag on the table with the hidden puzzle inside had us all sitting on the edge of our seats. What kind of PuzzleTwist® puzzle will it be? Will it play to our strengths? Will it be a challenge?
Before the countdown began, we were up on our feet, chairs pulled away, and ready to go. As a team, we usually discuss who’s working on edges? Who’s sorting? And we go from there. We give ourselves a little pep talk, remind each other to have fun and to not dwell on each section for too long. And we apologize in advance for any loving words that may be said in the next hour. 😉
5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
You never knew puzzling could be so exciting until you see the start of a puzzle competition. Bags are ripped open and thrown on the ground, teams are laser focused on dumping and sorting pieces and bystanders are gawking at the complexity of what each team is racing to solve.
Immediately we knew the puzzle was going to be difficult. Lots of details in white and four of us vying for space around the 20x27inch puzzle. Here is what we saw on the box.
Side note: PuzzleTwist® puzzles, when completed, show an altered form than what is on the box. Based on the type, images could be rearranged, colors could be swapped, and/or different words could be printed. It makes it tough for those puzzle lovers that spend a lot of time looking at box covers.
Anyway, back to the competition.
Everyone is in a frenzy to turn pieces over and sort them into common groups. And a little strategy is maybe discussed.
A particular helpful way to start any puzzle is to sort out all the edges and put these together first.
This particular puzzle had difficult edges. There was no color in the background, just details in a white background. So, when the sorting was done, we had two puzzlers completing the edges, while the other two were putting together the different fabric textured pieces.
Once the edges were done, the different fabric pieces were slid into the middle of the puzzle and special attention to detail was needed to put them together. (Remember, different than the box cover).
The final step was placing all the random detail pieces in their homes in a sort of free for all. Again, very hard to have four ladies hovering over one side of a large round table.
The last 5 minutes
One thing we noticed this year was the hovering of officials. This told us we were in contention to finish first and maybe kept us motivated to keep up a fast pace.
Our team was on fire; communicating, and working together in our tight space.
The final 50 pieces can go so quickly.
And then the final 10. The final 1.
Done!
Tony from PuzzleTwist® yells, “Done!” and we cannot believe it.
Our first year as a full team at the carnival and we’re ecstatic.
Smiles are plastered on our faces as we take pictures and receive certificates, and buttons. Zakco sponsored some puzzle boards for the first place winners as well, and we each took one home.
Thank you to PuzzleTwist® for capturing this moment for us.
Notice how no one even looks up when we finish. Laser focus! 🙂
Final Thoughts
There were three divisions completing the PuzzleTwist® Fabrics of Minnesota puzzle, and we took 5th overall. We are very happy with our time of 38 minutes and 50 seconds.
This year’s winter carnival was an experience to remember, and I encourage you to join us next year!
You can find more information on the St. Paul Winter Carnival Speed Puzzle Competition here.
Check out our Winter Carnival page for previous years’ results.