Code of Conduct

The REC Foundation considers the positive, respectful, and ethical conduct of teams to be an essential component of the competition. Participants are expected to behave in a respectful and professional manner, and to operate as student-centered teams with limited adult assistance. This includes all students, teachers, coaches, mentors, parents, and spectators associated with a team.

For more details, please refer to the REC Foundation Code of Conduct and Student-Centered Policy. If you have concerns about compliance with the Code of Conduct, please speak to the Event Partner during the event.

Agenda

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (subject to change):

Day 1 - Thursday, January 22, 2026

9:00-3:00 Setup, Optional tours of Lambeau Field

• Teams arriving during setup time will be asked to volunteer with event setup before they are allowed to practice on the practice fields.

3:00 Registration/Pits/Inspection opens

4:15 Driver’s Meeting

4:45 Opening Ceremonies

5:00-8:30 Matches 1-3, Skills open

9:00 Venue closes

Day 2 - Friday, January 23, 2026

7:30 Venue Opens

8:00-9:00 Skills Matches at Competition Fields

9:00-12:00 Matches 4-6, Skills open

12:00-1:00 Lunch Break

1:00-4:30 Matches 7-9, Skills open

4:40 Alliance Selection

5:00 Finals (16 alliances)

6:30 Awards and Closing

6:30-7:30 Tear-down, Cleanup

Volunteer

We will need many volunteers to make this event a success. Volunteers will receive an event shirt and refreshments and all-day volunteers will receive a meal.

General Volunteers Sign Up: Link coming soon

Judges Sign Up: Link coming soon

Referee Sign Up: Link coming soon

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

Northeast Wisconsin can have widely varying weather in the winter months. Teams should consider the impact weather may have on travel and accomodation plans. The event will only be cancelled in the most extreme of circumstances. Check back here for updates.

Refund and Payment Policies

Registration fee must be paid within two weeks of registration. Teams that are added to the event from the waitlist are asked to pay for the event within 1 week. Teams registering less than two weeks before the registration deadline must pay at time of registration.

Any teams that fail to pay the registration within these guidelines will be moved to the waitlist and the spot will be opened up to other teams.

If the Event Partner cancels the event: 

Teams will receive a refund of the registration fee.

If a Coach/Mentor completes registration for the event then chooses to withdraw or not attend:

Registration fees are non-refundable.

Date: 22-Jan-2026 - 23-Jan-2026

Travel Info

There are many hotels available in the area surrounding Lambeau Field. Details will be added to this page as we make arrangements with hotels for event room blocks.

Webcast

2025 Northeast Wisconsin Showdown Signature Event Live Streams:

Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/JNKQJ1IvV7g?si=zej0YgkHa-VMwwC3

Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/Y4PuHHBpSyo?si=Wgn2XtIwLQ5L6pDj

Judging Format

All In-Person Judging - The Team Interviews and Engineering Notebooks will be judged in-person the day of the event. Teams should bring a physical copy of their notebook to submit to the judges.

Payment

Registration fee must be paid within two weeks of registration. Teams registering less than two weeks before the registration deadline must pay at time of registration. Any teams that fail to pay the registration within these guidelines will be moved to the waitlist and the spot will be opened up to other teams. 

Signature Event Early Bird Policy

• All Signature Events will have a specific Early Bird Registration that is independent of all local/regional Early Bird systems
  • Each team starts the season with three (3) opportunities to register during the Signature Event Early-Bird period
    • An opportunity is taken away each time the team registers for a Signature Event, whether during the Signature Event Early-Bird period or Standard period
    • A Signature Event Early-Bird opportunity is not taken away if a team registers for a tournament hosted by their school or organization (where the team’s coach is the Event Partner)
  • Early Bird Registration will open 16 weeks before the event at 12:00PM EST
    • Note: Modifications to this may be made for events in August and September
  • Standard Registration will open 14 weeks before the event at 12:00PM EST
  • An Event Partner may register their own teams to their Signature Event during Signature Event Early Bird Registration no matter how many other Signature Events they are already registered for  
    • The Event Partner must be the Primary Contact for the teams they are registering