On the outside, freshman John Kelley may only appear to be a guy with silky surfer hair and a devotion to rubik’s cubes, but after I interviewed him, I discovered that his life itself is as complex as a rubik’s cube.
When I was younger I remember having a fascination towards rubik’s cubes myself, however, I don’t recall ever actually being able to solve one, which is why I found John’s talent especially impressive.
I was really curious about whether or not John just one day picked up a rubik’s cube and instantly solved it, or if it took practice. I learned that it took John years of practice to get as good as he is today. Today, his record for solving a rubik’s cube is 8.46 seconds.
“I was really bad when I first started, and my brother was faster than me. I just practiced more than him. He barely does any solves and he averages about 25 [seconds] and I am always doing solves when I have time, I average about 13 or 14 [seconds].” John’s story about how he became good at solving rubik’s cubes reflects his determination.
John shares his interest in rubik’s cube with a couple of his friends and his younger brother who is 12 years old.
“My brother’s name is Andrew, but I call him Andy sometimes to annoy him.”
Even though a few of John’s friends know how to solve a rubik’s cube, only one of his friends, Keenan Hom, speed solves like him.
“He is pretty evenly matched with me,” John said about Keenan.
“My friends who can’t solve it think it’s really cool but aren’t impressed because I have been solving around them for about 2 years.”
John’s friends aren’t the only ones who recognize his ability to solve a rubik’s cube in a near impossible amount of time, but others also recognize his skill in solving rubik’s cubes, considering that he almost always has one close by.
“I feel like he could have invented rubik’s cubes,” said freshman Jaiden Wever, John’s classmate.
John discovered his passion for rubik’s cubes at a camp he went to. At his camp everyone was always using rubik’s cubes. He decided to ask his brother if he knew how to solve a rubik’s cube, and then after finding out that his brother had solved one, he learned how.
During my first interview with John I found out that he speed solves because it’s fun and because he enjoys it. But in the second interview I found out another key reason why John speedsolves.
“I do practice for competition a lot, for example, I’m traveling to Paris in July for the world’s Rubik’s cube competition.” John revealed serenely.
John Kelley has a distinct and apparent personality. “He’s a unique dude, rocking the socks,” Jaiden said referring to the fact that John always wears mismatched socks of different lengths.
I learned that John also enjoys skateboarding and playing the tuba. Due to John’s young age he does not know what he wants to be when he grows up. But he said that he has thought about professionally playing the tuba when he’s older.
Not only is John active in perplexing and lively activities, but it is clear that he also has the endurance to actively post on his Instagram account.
“He has a lit Instagram,” said freshman Emma Foley.
“I do have a lit Instagram,” Kelley confirmed.
After hearing about John’s “lit Instagram” I remembered that he posted quite frequently, so I decided to check out his Instagram for the sake of this profile.
After looking through some of his posts, I found that John’s Instagram revealed his fun and boisterous spirit. All of John’s posts are comedy orientated. They vary from cheesy puns, Spongebob quotes, close ups of his friends, and photos of him wearing crazy wigs.
John’s ability to solve a rubik’s cube in 8.46 seconds shows true talent. Aside from that, John is skilled in many other ways, including skateboarding, playing the tuba and spreading joy to his Instagram viewers.
