The other U.S.-based team in the 2012 ISC Student Cluster Challenge is the University of Colorado, which hails from Boulder. Colorado is by far the most experienced team in Hamburg, having sent teams to all six SC Cluster Competitions. I recognized several of their current team members (along with the coach) from previous SC events.

The Buffaloes (profile here) have scored a few wins along the way, taking both a LINPACK and a Fan Favorite award in the past. But they’re also a team that seems snake-bit in some ways. They’ve faced a variety of problems over the years, ranging from power outages to hardware failures. But they’ve always pushed hard in the face of adversity and have never thrown in the towel. (I’m not sure there’s a towel to throw in… I think you’d throw in a power cord if you wanted to give up at a Student Cluster Competition.)

Is this the year that Colorado breaks through? According to the students, this has been their best start ever, and they aren’t seeing any problems on the horizon. We’ll see what happens as the scores are tabulated, but maybe – just maybe – this is the year the Buffs cross the finish line first. To get a better look at Team Colorado, check out this short video feature.