Sarah’s Puzzle Story:

Sarah love all things “puzzle”. She started puzzling as a kiddo, surprising her parents with completed puzzles when they'd wake up on Saturday mornings. As soon as she was old enough, they recruited her for their St. Paul Winter Carnival team, who has won several times and still competes every year!

She hosts giveaways & puzzle bingo on her Instagram, and has even started a blog with reviews, discount codes, and recommendations of her favorite brands. She says all her puzzling activity helped her stay calm and connected during the time of COVID.

Q&A Time:

Are you active in the speed puzzling community?

“Yes! Besides being active in the #puzzlegram community on Instagram, I also participate in speed competitions, puzzle-alongs, host giveaways, and share new and exciting puzzles on my social media channels. I am a member of the Puzzle Parley Steering Committee and work full time in the puzzle industry. When people ask me what my job is I joke that I'm a professional jigsaw puzzler, but it's kind of true!”

What is the puzzle community like in your area?
”Minnesota has an amazing puzzle community. We have our own state chapter of the USAJPA that has brought our community even closer together. Recently, I hosted a casual puzzle night at a brewery, and plan to host more in the near future. I'm also lucky that the largest puzzle contest in the country, the St. Paul Winter Carnival Puzzle Contest, is hosted only a few minutes from my house, so I have been able to participate in that competition since I was in middle school.”

What is your best advice for someone who wants to improve their speed puzzling abilities?

“I always recommend filming yourself to see where you are slowing down. Don't spend time on a section if you are getting stuck - just move on to the next part and come back to it. I also like to mix speed puzzling with casual, untimed puzzling to avoid burning out!”

Connect:

Sarah can be found through Instagram at @sarahdoespuzzles