I did competition math in middle and high school, and the only reason I was able to build the base needed to do decently in the AMC, AIME, and CEMC was because I was introduced to various concepts in math much earlier than when American or Canadian curricula would introduce them.
Competition math becomes a zero sum game when you are competing with students who have both built strong fundamentals AND then concentrated on technique and problem solving.
You can't run if you can't walk.
> failing and failing and trying again, is a life skill that learning calculus two years early won’t teach you
But learning Calc for 2 years, and getting a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam means you can take 2 additional courses in college or graduate early.
> Many of the tactics used in competition problems are also useful in general quantitative situations
Agreed. But at the end of the day, the kids getting into AIME or USAMCO were already doing high school or even college level math by 9th grade
I actually did learn how to run before I learned how to walk. It caused my parents all sorts of stress. I guess, though, there’s room to quibble about where controlled falling forward is really running.
Anyway, it seems like a shame that there’s a problem solving strategy beyond fundamentals for competitive math. What makes the puzzles in the game different from the sort of typical math somebody in STEM might do?
You don't have to "do decently" or worry about beating students who are already doing college level math, though. You can just do it for "fun" (and learning value). It may be a zero sum game if the outcome you're concerned with is beating other people, but that doesn't need to be the objective.
Competition math becomes a zero sum game when you are competing with students who have both built strong fundamentals AND then concentrated on technique and problem solving.
You can't run if you can't walk.
> failing and failing and trying again, is a life skill that learning calculus two years early won’t teach you
But learning Calc for 2 years, and getting a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam means you can take 2 additional courses in college or graduate early.
> Many of the tactics used in competition problems are also useful in general quantitative situations
Agreed. But at the end of the day, the kids getting into AIME or USAMCO were already doing high school or even college level math by 9th grade