UCalgary students win big at MIT’s Premier Programming Competition

When four UCalgary students boarded their flight to Cambridge, Massachusetts this January, they carried with them a month of intense preparation, countless lines of code, and the pride of representing UCalgary on one of the world’s most renowned programming stages. What awaited them at MIT would even further exceed their expectations. 

Battlecode, MIT’s flagship programming competition, challenges teams to code fully autonomous players capable of competing in real-time strategy games under strict computational limitations. 

This year’s theme tasked competitors with programming rats to collect cheese, battle cats and rival rats, and evolve into “rat kings”, all while their code ran against opponents’ strategies in fast-paced matches. 

For the UCalgary team known as the "Goobie Woobies" — comprised of final-year CS students Colton Gowans, Daniel Sabourov, Dante Kirsman, and myself (Ana DuCristea) — the journey began in early January with intensive planning sessions, rigorous testing, and continuous iteration of their strategic algorithms. The team dedicated the entire month to working on their bot, refining as many aspects of their code's performance and strategy as possible. 

But this preparation ran much deeper than a single month. Most of the team had been competing in Battlecode for years. Sabourov first discovered the competition seven years ago, at just 16 years old. Over the years, he competed repeatedly, learning Git and development tools through the competition itself. Now in their final semester, reaching the finals represented the culmination of years of experience and dedication. 

From qualification to global awards

Their dedication paid off spectacularly when they secured second place in the international qualifying rounds, punching their free ticket to compete against the world's elite student programmers at MIT's campus.

Competing against more than 600 teams from universities around the globe, the Goobie Woobies held their own against some of the most prestigious computer science programs in the world. The team's approach to the competition's challenges resulted in a 6th place finish overall; a remarkable achievement placing them among the top 1% of competitors. 

"My favorite part of Battlecode was seeing our team climb the rankings as we improved our bot," Kirsman reflected. "Every time we fixed a bug or changed our strategy, it actually made a difference, which felt really rewarding. I also loved working with my team. Sharing ideas, solving problems together, and figuring out how to combine everyone's ideas made it way more fun." 

For Gowans, the competition also offered proof that talent transcends institutional prestige. "Being at a top university doesn't make someone inherently smarter," he explained. "Battlecode is completely fair and levels the playing field. If someone is skilled enough, they can compete equally regardless of their school." 

The team was also awarded the Platinum Sponsor Award for Most Adaptive Strategy, presented by Amplitude, a leading digital analytics company based in San Francisco. This prestigious recognition from the Battlecode’s top sponsor came as a stunning surprise. "After they crowned the winner and started announcing the three sponsor awards, I wasn't expecting anything," Gowans reflected. "I had always considered those out of reach." 

A newcomer’s perspective

As the newest member of the team, I came to Battlecode with a mix of excitement and apprehension. I'd first stumbled upon the competition back in junior high while searching for coding competitions, but the complexity had seemed overwhelming then. Years later at UCalgary, when the Goobie Woobies had an open spot, I jumped at the chance. 

What I discovered was that Battlecode offered something different from other competitions I'd tried. The month-long duration allowed for deeper team bonding than hackathons, and the competition felt fairer since success was based purely on code performance rather than pitching your product. Battlecode strikes a balance between hackathons’ creative collaboration and competitive programming's technical rigor. 

When we entered the international qualifiers in sixth place, needing to reach the top four to advance, I wasn't sure what would happen. But when we pulled off three consecutive upsets to qualify in second, I was screaming on the video call: "We're going to Boston!". 

The entire experience was exceptional: the competition, company, good food, and exploring MIT's campus. My only complaint? The cold weather.

More than just competition

Beyond the competition itself, finalists attended a presentation by Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates and connected with industry professionals from Hudson River Trading, Jump Trading, Jane Street, and Citadel at a buffet dinner banquet and career fair. "After weeks of competing online, it was awesome to finally talk face-to-face, share ideas, and see all the different ways teams solved the challenges," Kirsman reflected. "Being around so many people who were just as into it made the whole trip really memorable." The month-long competition pushed the team to learn advanced programming concepts, optimize algorithms under strict resource constraints, and develop effective strategies—skills that will serve them well in both academia and industry.

Your turn

Inspired to compete? Battlecode runs every January and is completely free. Whether you're a seasoned programmer or just starting out, grab your friends and form a team. 

"Don't count yourself out before even trying," Gowans advised. "Success is possible regardless of which university you attend. You must take the shot to have any chance of succeeding."