Judging is a year-round activity. From the Call for Problems in early spring, through evaluation and editing, through solving every problem in every language of the Contest Finals, through striking out duplicates of regional contest problems, to testing solutions and judging criteria on a scaled-down contest environment, to full-scale testing, Dick Rinewalt (Director of Judging), Jo Perry (Chief Judge), and the judging team work hard to insure that the Contest Problem Set is up to the challenge of the 50 regional champions.

Robin O'Leary, judge and Director of European Contests learns how to take pictures with an automatic digital camera. Robin is from Wales. He thinks these pictures are normal. After all, his snapshots in Wales always look like this.

Robin argues that Jo Perry (Chief Judge) and Dick Rinewalt (Director of Judging) review the finals problem set in a virtual fog. Being from Wales, Robin knows fog. Being from Texas, I know smoke. I just don't know how to take an out-of-focus picture with an automatic camera!

Stan Wileman, judge and North Central North America Director, appears fog-bound as well! I hope Robin's photographic skills improve.

Let's get out of here and go to the Practice Session...