Pandemic pastime: youth conquers 9,000-piece puzzle
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2021 (1403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
After months of sorting and strategizing, Alexa Storozuk has conquered her 9,000-piece puzzle.
The 13-year-old began working on the monstrous task in September as a distraction from the COVID-19 lockdown. She submitted the final piece Dec. 28, in front of a proud audience of her parents and grandparents.
The puzzle, which displays the 1618 world map, was initially bought by Alexa’s parents as a gift for their in-laws, who found the task too daunting.
“It just sat unopened for about 15 years,” said Alexa’s mother, Nicole. “Alexa’s always loved puzzles and she saw this as a fun challenge to take on.”
Alexa was up for the challenge, saying she used the puzzle as a coping mechanism for her Tourette syndrome and ADHD while being stuck at home amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
“I like the euphoria about having to sort through a huge box and find the pieces that match,” she said. “It’s a great way to keep yourself entertained.”
Alexa said she chipped away at the puzzle every day but was faced with some adversity through the process.
“There were a few instances we had to retrieve puzzle pieces from the vacuum cleaner,” she said. “I also had to restart once after we left a window open and the pieces all blew apart.”
Despite these setbacks, nothing was going to stop Alexa from completing the puzzle, which has now taken over the Storozuks’ dining room floor, stretching taller than the teen at a whopping 75 x 54 inches.
The Storozuks plan to glue and hang the masterpiece, but Alexa had no time to admire her work as she opened a new box the very next day.
While she works on it, she is planning for the future: “I am hoping to do a 10,000-piece puzzle next. That will be my next big project.”
Her mother said her next move will be to invest in some more puzzle glue.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca