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Introduction to Competitive Programming
chrisjrn writes "Last year, I unexpectedly found myself entered in the Australian Computer Programming Competition, and somehow did well in it. As a result I decided to write a guide as an introduction, for high school-level students (and others, I suppose,) into the world of programming competitively based on my experience, and how to go about successfully competing in competitions." Article looks like a good start, I'm sure Slashdot readers can add many more tidbits of wisdom.
My team competed (and won first place in) several high school computer programming contests at the colleges in New England back in my day (Plymouth State, St. Anselm, etc). I'm not sure what today's competitions look like, but the team concept made things work here. I was the code monkey of the group, and the rest had their own strengths. Prior to my coming onboard, the team continually lost - not because they weren't smart, but they weren't complete. They were very strong in figuring out solutions to problems, while I was very strong at taking those solutions and laying them out in code. That's one of the reasons I'm suspicious of the 'one-man' competitions, as real-life work challenges are often team-oriented. As adults, most of us have learned to wear many of the different hats (problem solving, mathematics, coding, etc), but building a strong team based on members' strengths still usually makes the difference between mediocre products and works of art. That's just my 2c.
As opposed to the non-intellectual circle jerk that makes up most high school sports? These are students that like to program, ar probably good at it, and enjoy some competition. You can compete in almost everything. Chess, cooking, football, programming, rock climbing, gardening... If it drives you to become better at something you love, whats wrong with it?