Think Like a Champion: Kat & Nicole, Ready to Answer your Grand Prix Questions!

[NicoleJohnson]

Hello Alteryx Community!!

We are @kat and @NicoleJohnson! Back in 2018, we took the Grand Prix by storm and made it the year for women solvers, taking the Grand Prix Champion title home at both Inspire Europe and Inspire North America!! We are excited to answer any questions you have today around our Grand Prix experiences: how we prepared for the race, what the competition was like, our favorite tools to use, best songs on our playlists that got us pumped up... whatever you want to know!!

And if you’re interested in competing in the Alteryx Grand Prix (you should!!), check out this blog post about registering for Grand Prix 2021!

We’ll be online for the next hour (10-11am PST) to answer alllll your questions - just leave a comment below! Ready... Set... Go!

Cheers!

Kat & Nicole 

 PHOTO: Kat & Nicole after Kat's Grand Prix victory in London (along with pit crew extraordinaire, Dan Hare!)

[LeahK]

This question is for both @kat and @NicoleJohnson :

I know both of you leveraged the Weekly Challenges to prepare. What challenges would you recommend users attempt or reattempt to put those Alteryx GP skills into practice?  Share your top two recommendations 😉

[kat]

@mceleavey I vote for starting a Partner competition if you take part first time round 😁

Partners still took part when I competed. It's all good, but I think all in all partners have one up on us customers as they get to live Alteryx day in, day out. For me, Alteryx was only a small portion of my job and also only exposed me to a limited set of tools and a limited set of problems. No spatial, no predictive, etc.

So setting up a partners only tournament should be an interesting one and should definitely be made a lot harder 😉

[NicoleJohnson]

I am DEFINITELY signed up to try again!! For the past few years, ACEs weren't allowed to compete, so I wasn't able to defend my title... so you better believe now that we are allowed to try out again, I will be there!! 🙂 Not sure lightning can strike twice, but we shall see haha

And @mceleavey I do feel for you on the Partner side... hopefully in future years, we can find a way to have some variations on the Grand Prix structure that will allow ACEs and Partners and ANYONE to compete - maybe a few rounds, with an ACE-Partner-Customer battle at the end or something 🙂 I will be rooting for you if that day comes, you better believe it! 

[ShaanM]

@kat 

You were so fast with that final workflow, I had to check double check and triple check.

I was in shock at your speed - was a true honor to wave that flag!

[mceleavey]

Thank you!

I just want to beat @DanHare 

[FláviaB]

@kat and @NicoleJohnson, it is so awesome to hear about your journeys!! 

Now made me wonder what tips or questions our other Grand Prix winners and finalists might have to share! 😊

@BenMoss 

@JonMcMillin 

@LordNeilLord 

@PhilipMannering 

@mattagee 

@Hugo 

@AlexBibin 

@estherb47 

@cjones514 

@timrains 

@JosephSerpis 

@BarnesK

@cplewis90 
@Garrett 

@alv728 

@yalmar_m 

@Natasha 

[kat]

@LeahK I don't think there's any one challenge that could ever prepare you for the Grand Prix - there's just way too many tools.

That being said, I'd definitely recommend trying out the Grand Prix questions. They give you a proper feel for what it's like. And of course anything you're not too familiar with.

That's probably one of my top tips for the Grand Prix anyway - make sure you don't have any blind spots. Nothing worse than realising on the day you need to use a tool that you've never seen before! You don't need to be a pro on anything, but at least try it out.

[NicoleJohnson]

@MaddieJ OH MY GOSH, the post-Grand-Prix pseudo-celebrity status is something I never would have anticipated. It's unreal. Plus Anaheim Inspire was possibly the best Inspire ever - the Codechella party & the concert?!? Incredible... I think it just felt like a daze for the next few days. I remember being so completely shocked, riding up the escalator, and hearing/seeing people whisper & point, saying "Look! There she is!!" I have never experienced anything like it, and I send ALLLL my love and gratitude to all the folks who truly made me feel like royalty that night, and for the rest of the conference. ❤️

[kat]

Forever too kind, thank you @ShaanM. Couldn't have had anyone better by my side! 🙂 

[mceleavey]

pfff, @kat I remember watching when you won and I'm with @ShaanM on this, I was in shock at the speed. I think I was still trying to work out the question.

I was a number of beers down, though...