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Boulder Teen Evan Blecher Putting His World Record Rubik's Cube Skills To Use Raising $$ For Those Affected By COVID-19

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - A Boulder teenager now holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time solving a Rubik's Cube on a pogo stick. 14-year-old Evan Blecher recorded a time of 16.7 seconds to set the new record.

"I don't think I ever thought that I would be a Guinness World Record holder," said Blecher in an interview with CBS4 photographer Mark Neitro. "Now, I am one."

Blecher completed the World Record on July 20 and his father says that the unique talents just clicked for his son.

Evan Blecher (3)
(credit: CBS)

"It just clicked. He knew that he could pogo stick and he knew that he could Cube," said Blecher's father Herb. "The combination of the two came as a surprise. Practice, practice, practice, driving us crazy with the click, click, click all the time."

For Blecher, solving a Rubik's Cube began when he was just 9. Practice over time, combined with his skills on the pogo stick, has now made him a world record holder.

"I first started cubing when I was around 9 years old," said Blecher. "Right when you see something, you know to do a certain algorithm."

Blecher's skills aren't just being used to break world records however. The 14-year-old has started an online course called "Cubing Away Corona" that is teaching others, in a socially distanced way, how to solve a Rubik's Cube in under 3 minutes. The program is free, but donations are welcomed on behalf of the CDC Foundation and No Kid Hungry. Blecher says that the course was dreamt up as a way to both relieve the boredom of staying home while also helping out families who have been hit hard by the pandemic.

"The coronavirus, it's taken away a lot of lives and a lot of people's money," said Blecher. "So this was my way of giving back. Having a course to help people not be as bored and donating to important causes."

Evan Blecher (1)
(credit: CBS)

It's a passion project for Blecher who says that he draws joy from being able to help out those less fortunate who have been affected by COVID-19.

"Thinking about helping out kids and helping out families without much money, that makes me feel so good that I am helping these people out," said Blecher.

The program runs via Google Hangouts, FaceTime or Zoom and interested people can sign up for their first lesson here.

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