A Memphis area black high school computer programming team haswon a national competition three years in a row, but this year theyare struggling to raise money to defend their title.
The lead computer programmer for the team, Cornell Gaulmon, asenior at Whitehaven High School, "put the word out" to churchfriends and at school and has been interviewing to land corporatesponsorship for the team.
Usually, the Black Data Processing Associates has corporatesponsorship, said Joseph Taylor III, past BDPA president, but thisyear, the team has opted to fly rather than drive to the nationalcompetition, and every where else to cut corners and thebudget.
The teammates and Taylor have been asking for help from friendsand family members, churches and organizations around town, inshort, they said, "we are going to anyone who will listen."
In Dallas, Texas, the Memphis high school students will meetother students from around the country for a four-day computerprogramming completion.
The eight students going to Dallas from area high schools havebeen training for this week's event at The University of MemphisFedEx Institute of Technology since January, with some team memberslike Gaulmon participating for the fourth year.
The competition is divided into three parts -- an oral part, awritten part and what the students say is the most difficult part,a problem-solving section that each team has seven hours tocomplete.
Problem-solving challenges vary among teams and change everyyear. The Memphis team's problem last year was to design a programfor the Army to coordinate supplies, troop movements and buildinglocations.
"When we get the problem we are relaxed," said Gaulmon. "We mapit out and discuss what we are going to do. It's pretty calm."
Although it seems easy, Taylor said, only two teams completedthe program last year, and the Memphis team's solution was the onlyone that was functional.
Another reason for trying to get to the completion is thescholarship money awarded as the top prize. Members of the firstplace team are each given $5,000 for college.
The Memphis team is confident about their chances this year.
"We have a pretty good chance of winning again ," Taylor said."Four in a row."
Gaulmon said it was no longer just the scholarship money thatdrew him to the competition once he saw what he could do with acomputer.
"It just called me," he said, "and I wanted to do it again."
