MikeMirzayanov's blog

ACM-ICPC 2011 World Finals: Let's go!
By MikeMirzayanov, 13 years ago, translation, In English

Today Saratov delegation will go to the championship's finals. As you remember, we've been planning to go to Sharm El-Sheikh since January, watching their great February revolution anxiously. As a result, the finals were moved to Orlando (Florida, USA). Our delegation got a little smaller too, as May is a hot month and it's a long way from Russia to the USA.

Our team is famous on Codeforces. And that's not surprising! Just look at them:

  • Maxim Ivanov (e-maxx) spends considerable time among the top rated users and among the top contributors. Many know his wonderful site http://e-maxx.ru/, of course. Attentive users recognize him as a determined bug filer in gcc issue tracker and an author of some contests. Maxim is on the fifth year in SSU Mechanics and Mathematics Department and his interests include "programming, programming and... oh yeah, programming :), zen, taoism, philosophy, psychology, the bike".
  • Artem Rakhov (RAD) is known as the Codeforces problems' coordinator, the participant of all on-site prestigious competitions (TopCoder Open, Google Code Jam, Faceboook Hacker Cup) and a great Cola fan. Personally, I've known Artem since the eight year at school and I shudder to think how many problems he has solved since then :)
  • Nikolay Kuznetsov (NALP) is known as the author of several rounds and the one who fights ardently for clear statements. He used to be in one team with Artem back at school days. I remember how surprised I was when I learned that he got to TopCoder High School Competition. Nikolay is a third-year student of the Department of Computer Science and Informational Technologies of SSU and he is my student. On July, 10 I exam him on the theoretical course in Programming Methods. By the way, Kolya, let me remind you that you haven't yet got the pass for the practical work!

Besides, the team has me as the coach and Antonina Fedorova as the team leader.

I will do my best to keep you up to date on how the trip's going (mostly on the actual finals, of course). However:

I urge the participants of the event not to keep their interesting impressions hidden and bottled up. I want you to share them. For example, you can publish them on Codeforces!

As a conclusion to the entry, I want to ask a question to those who have already planned the whole trip. As far as I understand, the couple of days before the finals in Orlando won't be spent uselessly: there are some grand amusement parks around. I've got a question to those who are prepared and to those who are keen on that: which place will be most interesting for the ACM-ICPC team? As far as I understand, the tickets to those parks are not exactly cheap, but in one can get a discount now and then - how should we purchase the tickets?

Just in case I inform the Saratov residents that we leave today, on May 23, on train 9.

---
Packing his bag, Mike Mirzayanov
  • Vote: I like it
  • +136
  • Vote: I do not like it

Comments Comments (28)
| Write comment?
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +14 Vote: I do not like it
Good luck!
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it
all the very best guys ....!!!! .....  :))
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it
Good luck to you guys! And to all ICPC contestants!
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +14 Vote: I do not like it
See you there. :)
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +30 Vote: I do not like it

Have fun and best wishes for you and all other teams that will go to Orlando.
This year it was first time that our University (Amirkabir UT) won Tehran regional but we didn't get visa yet :( .
I'm hopeful to see you and other contestant (Specially Ahmed_aly :D) in Orlando. We will wait for visa until the last moment.
→ Reply
  • 13 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

    Thanks! :)
    I wish to see everyone there too, as this will be my first and last world finals as a contestant. :)
    I'll be 24 years old in June 1st, just 1 day after the world finals. That's why it's my last world finals.
    → Reply
  • 13 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
    We have the same situation but with one member only. So most probable my team will have 2 contestants only.
    → Reply
    • 13 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
      I thought it is not allowed at the Finals. Was I mistaken?
      → Reply
      • 13 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
        Yes you are correct, but we talked to Dr. Bill Poucher and he gave us an exception because it's out of our control and we did our best.
        → Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it
Good luck guys! Unfortunately my team didn't make it to finals this year. Since the contest has been moved to Orlando my school has become the host school. This means that I will be volunteering throughout the event. Also it means that I know the area. The schedule says that finals will be taking you to sea world and islands of adventure so I would stay away from those two parks on your own. (Since you will be going anyways) As for the other parks I recommend going to Epcot in Disney. (Its something of a personal favorite for me) Have fun!
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it
good luck!
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it
"watching their great February revolution anxiously."
Thanks a lot for specifying our revolution as great! I really hoped to see you all here in Sharm El Sheikh !

Hope to see you all in an upcoming finals after I enter college!

Good Luck and have fun in Orlando! =)
→ Reply
  • 13 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it
    Of course your revolution is great. The presidents are the first servers of the people. Hope Egypt will be a free and democratic nation again. Good luck with that and remain struggling.
    → Reply
    • 13 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it
      Looking forward to revolution in your country!
      → Reply
      • 13 years ago, # ^ |
        ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

        Of course I am. Perhaps the most political codeforces blog will be posted by me when I finished in Orlando.

        We are programmers,  there should not be nothing most important to us that granted the Internet freedom and the absolute globalization of knowledge while computers exist.
        → Reply
    • 13 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
      Thanks! Yes, we should not stop for this... hope it all be fixed over here and also improve tourism again :)
      → Reply
      • 13 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it
        And hope Egypt would not repudiate a peace treaty with Israel.
        → Reply
        • 13 years ago, # ^ |
            Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
          Don't worry :) .. There is already a peace treaty with Israel and we will not ever start invalidating this treaty with them .. these are our principles :) .. But what do you think we should do if they did that ? :)
          → Reply
          • 13 years ago, # ^ |
              Vote: I like it -11 Vote: I do not like it
            There was no revolution there. So they wouldn't invalidate it in all cases.
            → Reply
            • 13 years ago, # ^ |
              ← Rev. 3   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

              I think you misunderstood my first one :)
              EDIT: I think a revolution in Israel is not needed for invalidating such treaties.
              → Reply
              • 13 years ago, # ^ |
                  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
                Well, e. g. Muslim Brothers think differently. But I believe you are on the right way and you will make the right choice.
                → Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +9 Vote: I do not like it
Good luck to all ICPC teams, I'll see you at Orlando. UH++ team (http://www.codeforces.com/team/595). 
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
Best wishes to all teams,specially to team from my country bangladesh: buet_annihilator
→ Reply
13 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
So no Codeforces contests till the end of the ICPC?
→ Reply
  • 13 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
    The problem coordinator is in the contest so I would assume not. Other big contests are happening right now so there are plenty of online events for all. There was even a topcoder srm today and a codechef cookoff tomorrow!
    → Reply