BOARDWALK PUZZLE AMBASSADORS
BOARDWALK PUZZLE AMBASSADORS
Allen has been puzzling his entire life. As a child he remembers putting together jigsaw puzzles during school breaks, often repeating the same puzzle since his family didn’t own many puzzles. Allen entered the speed puzzling community in 2022 after hearing about the world championship online. Since then he has competed in the Utah Jigsaw Puzzle Championship (2023 and 2024), Boardwalk Puzzle Company Tournament (2024 and 2025) and the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championship (2024).
He is a co-founder and board president of the Utah Jigsaw Puzzle Association, an organization dedicated to promoting jigsaw puzzling throughout the state of Utah. His favorite size puzzles are between 200 and 500 pieces because it’s fun to put together a puzzle in one sitting. Occasionally he’ll work on larger size puzzles when he finds one with a good picture. Allen really enjoys being a part of the local puzzle community and has hosted several events, both casual and competitive.
Andrea Peng is a lifelong puzzler turned speed puzzler, currently living in San Francisco. She loves puzzle images with small, busy details and never shies away from a challenge. Her puzzling accomplishments include a 4th place individual title at the World Championships in 2023 and a 3rd place pairs title in 2024. In 2024 Andrea was part of the first US Team to place 1st in the World with her best friends and team the “Busy Birdies”.
Her favorite jigsaw related activities include puzzling late at night with her family to finish a big puzzle before bed, competing in pairs competitions with all three of her children in 2024, thrift shopping for unique images and brands and the social events that come with the large competitions. Puzzle related travel has taken her in the US to Seattle, Columbus, San Diego and Atlanta. Internationally she has puzzled in Spain, France and Finland with top puzzlers from around the world including 2 – 24 hour puzzle marathons!
Jen’s interest in puzzles really started when she and her husband began doing them as a way to unwind and spend quality time together. It became the norm to always have a puzzle out while watching their favorite TV shows or movies.
Last year, Jen was introduced to the world of speed puzzling when a good friend invited her to participate in her first speed puzzling competition. She loves how puzzling keeps her mind engaged and constantly challenged, but racing against the clock has added a whole new layer of excitement to the hobby. She quickly became obsessed and now regularly takes part in speed puzzling competitions. Her puzzle collection grew so much as a result that she had to create a dedicated room for them!
Puzzling has become much more than just something she does in her free time—it’s become part of her daily routine. She still puzzles for fun, but she also enjoys pushing herself to get faster and better with every puzzle. The focus, the thrill of solving a tough puzzle, and the sense of accomplishment from placing that final piece keep her coming back for more.
Jonathan found out about speed puzzling in late 2019 after hearing about the first-ever World Championship, which was held in Spain. In January 2020, he created the Speed Puzzling Facebook group to try to gather information about opportunities to compete. He teamed up with a local science museum in West Texas to host his first in-person contest the next month. Then COVID hit, and he started hosting contests regularly via Zoom. Jonathan launched SpeedPuzzling.com and helped create the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association in early 2020. After hosting 82 contests, he finally got to compete himself--at the 2022 USA Jigsaw Nationals.
Jonathan is hosting all 50 State Championships in 2025 (14 in person and 36 via Zoom), and looks forward to running his first Speed Puzzling Cruise in July. He has now hosted over 300 speed puzzling contests, though he gets to compete only about twice per year. He can't wait for the day when others are hosting events regularly near his hometown--so he can join in! Jonathan is so grateful for the ongoing support of his wife, Erica, and their 6 children (ages 13 - 27).
Megan has been puzzling for as long as she can remember. Her love for puzzling started when she was a little girl and has only grown over the years. Puzzling gives her the perfect escape to unwind. It’s not just a hobby—it's one of her favorite ways to relax and recharge.
While there is always a casual puzzle to do on her table, Megan also enjoys participating in speed puzzling competitions. She competes locally, nationally, and even trekked to Spain for the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. So whether she’s puzzling for leisure or racing against the clock, each puzzle is a unique problem to solve, and she’s always up for the challenge. Megan never expected this hobby to become such a big part of her life, but is grateful for the experiences and community that has come from it.
When Megan isn’t puzzling, you can find her outdoors—hiking, rock climbing, and adventuring with her family. She also enjoys creating (arts/crafts) and spending time with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Tammy is an avid jigsaw puzzler who holds 2 Guinness World Records. She is one of the founders of the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association and has competed at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship numerous times.
She loves all things puzzles, and shares her puzzling adventures on YouTube and Instagram (@TammyMcLeodPuzzler).
Zoe grew up doing jigsaw puzzles but is a recent convert to speed puzzling. Her favorite piece count is 500 and her average time is in the 75-90 minute range, though she finally hit her first sub-1 hour time. Zoe's preferred speed puzzling audio is Dropout TV's Dimension 20 D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) live play show.
She's trying to get through all the Boardwalk 500s (and not just so she can see her floor again). Besides puzzling, Zoe loves reading and watching MLS soccer (go Sounders!) She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and two puzzle helper cats.