📌 Event Details

Season: 2026-2027 Season

Code: ACH20266839

Timezone: UTC

Event Dates: 09/17/2026 - 09/18/2026

Registration: 07/28/2026 - 09/11/2026

💳 Payment Deadline: 09/11/2026

📍 Location

SGP

301 W Warrior Tr

Grand Prairie, TX 75052

🗺️ View on Google Maps

Eligible Grade Levels: High School, Middle School

👥 Registered Teams

📋 General Information

Welcome to the 2026-2027 STAR Warriors Tournament Series! On behalf of our students, coaches, volunteers, and sponsors, thank you for choosing to compete with us. Every tournament we host is designed to provide a professional, organized, and enjoyable competition where students can showcase their hard work, challenge themselves, and learn from teams across the region.

Whether this is your team's first competition or you're competing for a championship qualification, our goal is the same: to create an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed, grow, and leave with new experiences and lasting memories. We are committed to running events that are fair, efficient, and welcoming to all participants while maintaining the high standards expected of REC Foundation competitions.

We encourage teams to compete with integrity, demonstrate gracious professionalism, support one another, and most importantly, have fun. The friendships, problem-solving skills, and confidence developed through robotics often extend far beyond the competition field and prepare students for future success in college, careers, and life.

Thank you for being part of the STAR Warriors community. We appreciate the time, dedication, and countless hours that students, coaches, mentors, volunteers, and families invest throughout the season. We look forward to hosting you and wish every team the very best of luck throughout the competition.

See you on the field!

⚠️ Emergency Info

The safety and well-being of all participants, volunteers, and spectators is our highest priority. STAR Warriors events are conducted in cooperation with the host venue and local emergency services to provide a safe and enjoyable competition environment.

Medical Emergencies

If a participant or spectator experiences a medical emergency, immediately notify the nearest volunteer, Event Partner, or Tournament Director. Event staff will contact emergency medical services (EMS) if necessary and assist first responders in reaching the individual as quickly as possible.

For non-emergency first aid needs, please visit the Event Partner table or information desk.

Fire or Building Emergency

If the building must be evacuated, all participants should remain calm and follow directions provided by event staff, venue personnel, and emergency responders.

• Exit the building using the nearest safe exit.

• Coaches are responsible for ensuring all team members are accounted for.

• Do not re-enter the building until emergency personnel have declared it safe.

Severe Weather

Should severe weather occur, announcements will be made over the public address system and through event staff.

Participants may be directed to designated interior shelter areas until conditions improve. Please remain with your team and follow all instructions from event staff.

Lost Student

If a student becomes separated from their team, notify the Event Partner immediately. Volunteers will assist in locating the student while maintaining the student's privacy and safety.

Lost and Found

Items found during the event should be turned in to the Event Partner table. Found items will be held for the duration of the tournament. Any unclaimed items may be retained by the host organization or disposed of after a reasonable period.

Emergency Contacts

Event Partner: Keenan Childs

Venue Address: 301 W Warrior Trail Grand Prairie TX 75052

In the event of an emergency requiring evacuation or shelter-in-place, official instructions from emergency responders and event staff take precedence over the published event schedule. We appreciate everyone's cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for all participants.

🧳 Travel Information

STAR Warriors is excited to welcome teams from across the region. To help ensure a smooth arrival and departure for everyone, please review the following travel information.

Travel Assistance

STAR Warriors does not provide travel assistance, lodging recommendations, or transportation arrangements for participating teams. Coaches are responsible for making their own travel plans and accommodations.

Arrival Information

A detailed campus map, parking information, and team drop-off procedures will be emailed to registered coaches prior to the event. Please review these materials carefully before arriving, as they are designed to minimize traffic congestion and provide safe access to the competition venue.

Thursday Arrival

Our events are usually conducted over Thursday and Friday.

The optional Thursday session begins after school hours and provides teams the opportunity to:

• Check in
• Complete robot inspection
• Participate in Skills Challenge runs
• Complete judging interviews

Please do not arrive on campus before 4:00 PM on Thursday unless you have received prior authorization from the Event Partner. School is in session throughout the day, and early arrivals may interfere with normal school operations and student dismissal.

Friday Competition

Friday is the official tournament day. Please be aware that school will be in session throughout the competition. While the tournament operates in designated competition areas, classes will continue in other parts of the building.

To help us maintain a safe environment for both our students and visiting teams, we ask that all participants:

• Enter and exit only through designated tournament entrances.
• Remain within tournament-designated areas unless escorted by event staff.
• Follow all directions provided by volunteers, security personnel, and school staff.
• Help minimize noise in hallways and common areas outside the competition venue.

Parking and Team Drop-Off

Parking locations, bus parking, and team unloading areas may vary by event. Specific instructions, traffic flow maps, and designated drop-off locations will be emailed to registered coaches prior to the tournament.

Please follow all posted signs and directions from event volunteers to help ensure a safe and efficient arrival for everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and organized event while respecting our host school's daily operations. We look forward to welcoming you to a successful STAR Warriors Tournament.

🗓️ Agenda

Tentative Event Agenda

The following schedule is provided to help teams plan for the event. While every effort will be made to remain on schedule, times are approximate and may be adjusted as necessary to ensure a successful tournament.

Robot Inspection

All robots must successfully pass inspection before they are eligible to participate in Qualification Matches or Robot Skills Challenge.

STAR Warriors conducts robot inspections using the current official REC Foundation Robot Inspection Checklist for the applicable competition program. Teams are responsible for ensuring their robot complies with all current game rules and inspection requirements prior to arriving at the event.

Inspection Schedule

Robot inspection will be available during:

• Thursday: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Recommended)

• Friday: 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (Final Opportunity)

Teams are strongly encouraged to complete inspection during the optional Thursday session to maximize their competition time on Friday.

Inspection Process

Please report to the inspection area with:

• Your complete competition-ready robot

• Competition batteries

• Competition controller(s)

• Any required pneumatic components, expansion mechanisms, or accessories

• Any additional equipment requested by the inspection staff

Inspectors are volunteers whose goal is to help teams compete successfully. If your robot does not initially pass inspection, inspectors will explain the necessary corrections and allow teams the opportunity to make adjustments before returning for reinspection.

Rule Compliance

Passing inspection confirms that a robot meets the inspection requirements at the time of inspection. Teams are responsible for ensuring their robot remains compliant throughout the entire event.

Event inspectors and referees may request a robot be re-inspected at any time if modifications are made or if there is reason to believe the robot no longer complies with the current game rules.

We encourage teams to review the current Game Manual and complete a self-inspection before arriving. Doing so helps the inspection process move quickly and allows more time for competition.

Thursday (Optional Team Check-In)

Friday (Tournament Day)

Important Notes

• Teams are** encouraged** to attend the optional Thursday session to complete check-in, robot inspection, judging interviews, and Robot Solo Challenge before tournament day.

• Teams that are unable to attend on Thursday must arrive promptly at 8:00 AM on Friday to complete any remaining requirements before the Driver Meeting & Event Briefing.

• Robot Solo Challenge fields will remain open throughout the qualification matches and will close immediately following the final qualification match. Teams are encouraged to manage their time wisely and complete their Solo runs between scheduled qualification matches.

• Match schedules will be released after team check-in and inspection have been completed.

• Published times are approximate and may be adjusted based on the number of participating teams and the pace of tournament play.

• Announcements made by the Tournament Director during the event take precedence over the published schedule.

We appreciate your flexibility and cooperation as we work to provide a professional, efficient, and enjoyable STAR Warriors tournament experience for every team.

⚙️ Judging Format

STAR Warriors is committed to providing a fair, consistent, and student-centered judging experience. All judging at this event will be conducted in accordance with the current REC Foundation Judging Guide and will be administered by trained volunteer judges.

Engineering Notebooks

Teams wishing to be considered for judged awards that require an Engineering Notebook must bring a physical copy of their notebook to the event for judges to review.

Acceptable notebook formats include:

• A traditional handwritten notebook

• A printed copy of a digital notebook

• A digital notebook saved locally on a laptop or tablet (internet access should not be required)

Regardless of the format, notebooks must be available for judges to review on-site throughout the event and must meet all current REC Foundation requirements.

Team Interviews

Team interviews will be conducted on a walk-up basis beginning during the optional Day 1 session and continuing through the conclusion of the qualification rounds on Day 2.

There are no scheduled interview times. Teams are encouraged to visit the judging area when they have sufficient time between matches and other competition activities. If necessary, a portion of the team may complete the interview while other team members continue preparing for or competing in matches.

During the interview, students should be prepared to discuss:

• Their engineering design process

• Robot design decisions

• Programming strategy

• Team organization and collaboration

• Challenges encountered and how they overcame them

• Lessons learned throughout the season

Students, not coaches, mentors, or parents, should answer all judge questions. Adult observers are welcome but may not participate in the interview unless specifically invited by the judges. ***Adults not following this rule risk having their team disqualified from judged awards***

A Note About Our Judges

Our judges are dedicated volunteers who generously donate their time to support student learning and recognize the accomplishments of participating teams. While many judges have engineering, education, or industry experience, some may have little or no prior experience with robotics or aerial drones.

Please remember that judges are evaluating your team's engineering process, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and design thinking—not just the technical complexity of your robot or drone. When explaining your work, focus on your decision-making process, the challenges you faced, why you chose a particular solution, and what you learned throughout the season. Avoid relying solely on technical terminology, and instead explain your ideas in a way that anyone can understand.

Above all, please treat every judge with patience, courtesy, and respect. Their willingness to volunteer makes events like this possible.

During Judging

Judges may also observe teams throughout the event in the pits and on the competition field. Teams are encouraged to demonstrate professionalism, teamwork, gracious professionalism, and good sportsmanship throughout the day, as these observations may contribute to award deliberations.

Judge Decisions

All judging decisions are made in accordance with the current REC Foundation Judging Guide. The decisions of the judges are final.

To preserve the integrity of the judging process, event staff and judges cannot discuss individual team evaluations, interview feedback, notebook assessments, rankings, or award deliberations during or after the tournament.

We encourage every team to view judging as an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments and share the story of their season. The interview is not a test—it is a conversation that allows students to showcase their creativity, perseverance, teamwork, and growth as engineers and problem-solvers.

🏆 Awards

💵 Refund Policy

Refund Policy

The STAR Warriors Tournament Series understands that schedules and circumstances can change throughout the competition season. To provide flexibility for teams while allowing us to effectively plan each event, the following refund policy applies unless otherwise noted on the event registration page.

Refund Schedule

• 14 or more calendar days before the event: 100% refund of the registration fee.

• 1–13 calendar days before the event: 50% refund of the registration fee.

• On the day of the event or after the event has begun: No refunds will be issued.

Event Withdrawals

If your team is unable to attend, please withdraw from the event through RECFEvents and notify the Event Partner as soon as possible. Early notification allows waitlisted teams the opportunity to participate and helps us provide the best possible tournament experience for all teams.

Waitlisted Teams

When openings become available, teams on the waitlist will be invited in the order determined by RECFEvents and the Event Partner. Prompt responses to waitlist invitations are appreciated to ensure timely registration.

Event Cancellation by STAR Warriors

If STAR Warriors cancels an event for any reason, all registered teams will receive a full refund. Teams will be notified as soon as possible through RECFEvents and by email using the contact information provided during registration.

While STAR Warriors is not responsible for expenses such as travel, lodging, or meals incurred by participating teams, we will make every effort to communicate cancellations promptly so teams can adjust their travel plans accordingly.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. This policy allows us to effectively plan venues, volunteers, judging, awards, and event logistics while continuing to provide a high-quality competition experience for every team.