Texas RECF Aerial Drone Competition STAR Warriors - Trench Run

Welcome to the STAR Warriors Halloween Drone Challenge! Join us on October 29–30 for two days of exciting competition, teamwork, and Halloween fun as teams from across the region gather to compete in the Aerial Drone Competition season.

Our goal is to provide a professional, safe, and enjoyable event where students can demonstrate their piloting skills, engineering knowledge, and teamwork while creating lasting memories. Whether this is your team's first competition or you're returning for another season, we are committed to delivering an organized and welcoming experience for every participant.

Halloween Costume & Pit Decoration Contest 🎃

To celebrate the season, teams are invited to participate in our Halloween Costume and Pit Decoration Contest!

• Students and coaches are encouraged to wear school-appropriate costumes during the event.
• Teams are invited to decorate their pit area with a Halloween theme.
• Decorations should be family-friendly, appropriate for all ages, and must not interfere with neighboring pit spaces or create safety hazards.
• Decorations must remain within your assigned pit area and should not obstruct walkways or emergency exits.
• Costumes should allow participants to safely operate drones and comply with all competition safety requirements.

Judging Information

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 Competition Logbook

• Communications Mission

• Coding/Autonomous Flight Mission

• Airmanship

• 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.

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.

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 conducted over Thursday and Friday.

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

• Check in

• Complete 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.

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.

Safety is our highest priority.

Teams should:

• Follow all instructions from event staff.
• Never arm a drone outside designated flight areas.
• Handle batteries safely.
• Wear required safety equipment.
• Immediately report damaged drones or batteries.

Failure to follow safety procedures may result in removal from the competition area.

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

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.

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 RECF Events 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 RobotEvents 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 RobotEvents 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.