Over time, I got used to catching off-by-one errors in loops as well as assignment to incorrect variables of the same type.

But when I write code in an editor, these errors always pop up. I guess it's because the feedback loop is so small, whereas every second counts in a competition environment.

Yes, it was pretty fun. I wish I took it more seriously though: we never really practiced much and just attended competitions for the experience. We did manage to get 5th place twice in a row in a regional competition (Gulf), so we weren't terrible :P

I would think you'd catch more errors since you're reading through your own code in it's entirety, as well. Mistakes like mis-assigned variables are easy to make while you're actively thinking about your code but they stand out when you're just reading it.

My question is what sorts of shorthands do you develop? In assuming you don't build up the full syntax?