Got a chance to be at the Kanpur site for the ACM ICPC, regionals. Learned a few things, gotto do something and had a great time. But most of all found something that could really be inspiring for young students looking forward to this prestigious contest:
- We went in underprepared, unpracticed and did badly, to not even land in the top 14, but then when we saw the teams around us we came to know that the overall level of the participants in this contest is coverable. Say a four-five months of practice at Topcoder can see an average programmar through.
- Surprisingly, the teams were as prepared as we were as many of them did not know the rules and the working. So if we had comeprepared, not really giving up all the time for TGMC, maybe we might have landed somewhere.
- The questions as in the main event had a few standard ones and a few tricky ones. But the main point was, even the world finalist team that won the contest did not need to do the tricky questions and indeed the standard ones done quickly enough saw them through.
- Previous world champ sites and all do scare a lot but for Indians planning forward, there is nothing to be scared, yes the contest will be tough but the main point is that, the teams won't be two three years of practice ahead of you, at max two months. So it is indeed coverable.
I do not wish to snatch away the credit from the IIIT team that went through, but all I want to say that is: The web makes it feel we are nowhere, not because we can't do it, but bcoz it contains works and words of those who can - rare few who are exceptional. We'll give it a try next time as well, maybe with no other project would come up fully prepared.
To all readers - this contest is not gone. Practice can cover up. I say this bcoz many are where years of interest and practice is required, but in this case if you had had a love for basic programming and logic, no need to panic as the algorithms to be used are just the outer covering to the marvelous treasure that the programmer has in im through his interest in the field...
