Yesterday, I competed alongside friends in IrlCPC down in UCC under the banner Big Bogger Boys 4: Easy PeaC++. This is not as good of a team name as Big Bogger Boys 3: Bugaboo Busters, and perhaps it was this subpar effort in team naming that landed us just off of the podium.

IrlCPC is our national collegiate programming competition, but is confusingly not part of the entry track for ICPC, which first involves competing in the UKIEPC, then NWERK, and getting your team’s institution to sponsor you.

It was very nice to be back in Cork and to see everybody again, my old teammates, fellow contestants and former coaches being present. The contest was run right beside my residences during my work in Tyndall, and we obviously went to Fat Badgers pizza as a consolation prize.

Having won the contest last year with a similar team, we showed up on the day expecting to put up a podium performance. However, we were just too rusty, and didn’t score on questions 6 & 7, which turned out to be the deciding factor of the contest. As for myself, I really should’ve practiced more, my study for the contest was just a review of the standard data structures & algorithms mentioned in Competitive Programming Edition 4 Book I. When it came to actually doing questions I was too slow to the mark.

But greiving the win won’t get me anywhere, we still came fourth. Our performance is still impressive considering our teams makeup, being composed of one member who’s just picked up competitive programming two weeks ago, one engineer, and a physicist, so we still get bragging rights about beating CS students at their own game. I’m quite hopeful about our prospects next year, and in the UKIEPC.

To that end, I reckon I can focus on competitive programming during my spare time this summer, and with my new teammate who seems to be very keen, I feel confident that we’ll improve a lot. It’s been really nice reviewing the theory of competitive programming from a pure maths perspective, many of the formerly elusive proofs are much easier to understand now. Competing in october would mark my first time competing in the UKIEPC for Maynooth rather than for DCU as a junior. In the recent past, there hasn’t been much maynooth prescence in competition programming, which is why I’ve never had a team for UKIEPC. To my surprise, however, there was not one but three different maynooth teams present at IrlCPC this year, as opposed to the basically zero last year. I’ll see about finding a third for UKIEPC, but I don’t have anybody in mind at present.

It shouldn’t go unmentioned that the site for the IrlCPC is also the site for the AIPO finals. As they should, the junior competitors performmed very well, showing up many/most of the college teams on the exact same problemset. Specifically, we were told in the award ceremony that Piotr (the junior winner) scored fifth overall, meaning our team of college students and former IOI contestants barely beat a secondary schooler. This, however, brings me no shame, as it only speaks to the talent & persistence present right here. Having a degree displays competence, wheras dedication ensures understanding. We have great teams for the IOI & EGOI this year, and I trust that they will continue to outperform.

Also I’ll note that I’ve officially recieved my first internship rejection, from perimeter institute in Canada, so I guess I’ll stick to Ireland and the mainland.

Now, to finish the assignments I put off for this contest.