Notes for future coaches

These are things that aren't necessarily obvious to noobie coaches. If a coach has competed before, then this might be old hat.

Running PC2

The code used to run contests is PC^2.

There is some nice server documentation from NCPC.

To run the code:

• Find a contest that has input/output data (and, hopefully, solutions).
• Download the pc2v8 code to someplace, let's call it $SERVERDIR. It will work on cascade.cs.ubc.ca.
• Modify the pc2v8.ini file.
  • Good settings are server=cascade.cs.ubc.ca:50002; comment out remoteServer for local contests. See template.
  • Put all the sites in sitelist.ini. Just "UBC Local" for us; add "SFU Local" for joint competitions.
• Copy the in/out data to someplace, let's call it $DATADIR. When you run pc2admin, it will ask you where that is.

Preparation

You are allowed quite a lot of notes at the Regional. Printing out lots of code samples (e.g. Rubik's cube solution) is useful. It might be worth putting some effort into creating team notebooks that have lots of yummy stuff in them.

At the WF, there is a notebook of stuff allowed, but they are a lot stricter about what the notebooks can have. TBD: put in link

Practices

UWaterloo runs practices once or twice per week, and we frequently piggyback on those.

Between the Regional and January, we didn't have as many formal practices. People would practice on their own, do TopCoder, etc.

ProgrammingTeamRunningServer

Publicity

UBC has profited from great departmental support. Good publicity makes the department feel like we are returning the favor.

It is a good idea to get a press release out ASAP after the regional and the WF. You might want to line up quotes ahead of time for a couple of different scenarios, and write the press release ahead of time.

GET A PHOTO AT THE REGIONAL OF THE ENTIRE TEAM! While you're waiting for things to start, get photos of coach+team1, coach+team2, coach+team3, and coach+team1+team2+team3. Different media outlets will want different pictures. Also try to get some "action shots" (as much as is possible!) during the practice.

At the World Finals

Apparently, there is no limit to the number of guest badges you can request. Yury K said that Russian teams frequently brought around 12 people. In 2008 (Banff), we had 9 guests.

Everyone gets a goodie bags. Competitors get more than coaches, and coaches get more than guests. Everyone gets a tshirt, and everyone in the entourage should wear their shirt on Wednesday (WF day).

Terms:

• CLIS -- Competitive Learning Institute Symposium (not us)
• RCDS -- Regional Contest Directors (not us)
• CyberDen -- Internet access
• TechTrek -- fun. Play. Team plus coach only.

Schedule

There isn't a lot for the guests to do on Monday; teams are off at TechTrek all day. Matthew Chan says that it is possible for guests to check in later than the scheduled checkin time on Sunday, but that it takes a little bit of work. You have to work harder to find the people who have the badges and goodie bags.

Prizes

The top N teams (where N=12 in 2008) get cash prizes. Gordon Cormac says that they immediately hand the coach small unmarked bills (US dollars, I think), which the coach then distributes to the team.

Other useful people to know

• Brad Bart, SFU coach (really nice guy)
• Gordon Cormac, Waterloo coach

-- DuckySherwood - 24 Nov 2007