Tower Hamlets 20-year-old George Edward Scholey, a third year English Literature student at Queen Mary, has a double life. By day, he dabbles in his love of James Joyce or ponders whether to re-read his favourite book, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray - but unlike Dorian he has no desire to sell his soul to ensure that a picture, rather than he, will age and fade.
Not your average bookish English student, George has two secret passions: skateboarding and ‘cubing,’ as he passionately calls his hobby of solving Rubik’s Cubes for seven years. After achieving his first national record and UK Champion title, he recently received that ultimate accolade of his first Guinness World Record for the most rotating puzzle cubes solved in 24 hours with an incredible 6,931.
He is considered one of the best ‘speed cubers’ in the world, according to the World Cube Association. He has also set a record for solving puzzle cubes while riding a skateboard, with 500, which were handed to him by helpers.
George’s personal advisor Dr Huw Marsh, Queen Mary’s Senior Lecturer in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature, said: “We are incredibly proud of George and his considerable achievements in addition to studying English here. He is a bit of a polymath but is very modest about being in the Guinness Book of Records.”
Speaking about this recent brush with fame - which saw him receive media coverage in The Sun, the BBC and other media outlets - George said: "I'd been lucky enough to have done a fair few media appearances in the last four years or so leading up to the world record, but I must say that it was exciting to see some more recognition than normal this year; particularly the BBC News clip that seems to have gone semi-viral. I've been recognised by students from TV only a couple of times, so I definitely wouldn't say I have a celebrity status outside of this incredibly niche hobby of mine."
Explaining how his twin passions began, the Northampton native said he fell under the spell of the cube: “I've been skateboarding for longer than I've been cubing - about 11 years - and got into it simply because I always had a fascination with it; it was initiated when my friend started, though.
“I got into the Rubik's cube when I was 13. I was very interested in magic, and at the time Rubik's cube magic was becoming a bit of a trend so I decided to pick one up. However, as soon as I picked it up, I was instantly interested in actually learning how to solve it. It took me four days to solve, and from then on, I never put one down. After about a year and a half, I achieved my first national record and UK Champion title; since then, I've tried to maintain that progress and recently got my first Guinness World Record.”
Despite his bookish passions, chosen degree and Guinness World Record, he is not sure what the future holds for him when he graduates. George said: “I will definitely continue with the cube post-university, and I must admit that I may not be using my specific degree - although, of course, it's the qualification that matters. I already take a lot of pride in being a Rubik's brand ambassador and will continue that full-time.”
To read about George’s Guinness World Record, please visit: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/11/speedcuber-solves-6931-cubes-in-24-hours-smashing-world-record-725673.
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