Here we are, coming to you from a scenic Cedar Rapids, Iowa hotel room, our week five predictions!
Other than 3309, who won the award in Arizona this year, or HoF team 597, no team attending Orange County Regional has a very deep RCA history. This could mean an opportunity for a new face to take home the banner. For previous winners, look to **207 **or 3476, both of which won their last RCA in 2015. However, **3646 **won their first ever RCA last year, and are on track to win another. Finally, second-year teams **5817 **and **5857 **are looking to follow up on their Rookie All Star and Rookie Inspiration awards, respectively, from last year.
Even with usual favorites **1868 **and **2468 **already having taken home an RCA earlier this year, Silicon Valley is still a fairly competitive event for the award. The favorite here is 604, whose 9 Chairman’s awards since 2007 have made them a total force to be reckoned with. Silicon Valley also contains a host of old-school winners, 115, 192, and 668. Though none of these three teams have won Chairman’s since 2010 or before, they could always stage a resurgence. Newer to the RCA scene is 2035, who won their first RCA here last year. Finally, EI veterans **846 **and **4159 **are both looking for their first Chairman’s banner.
The leaders at the **Hawaii **Regional for Chairman’s are with **3132 **having already won, 3880, with half a dozen EI and a pair of RCAs over the past five years. Also in the running is certainly 3008, who is coming in with a fresh EI award from Palmetto and three previous RCA wins. We might also see **1622 **walk aways with the award after their first RCA win ever in Boise last year. Also in attendance at this event will be Hall of Famers 359.
The Chairman’s Award at this year’s **Idaho **Regional could go one of many ways. **2486 **has a great shot at taking home their 7th consecutive RCA after an EI in Arizona, but are facing tough competition from 3562, the local favorite with two Chairman’s banners. Their anagram team **3256 **will also be gunning for a banner, after winning in 2014 and 2015.
The **Midwest **regional has not one, not two, but three Hall of Fame teams in attendence-- 16, 144, and 111. Those who will be competing for the award here will be in for some tough competition though-- even with the highly successful **1511 **out of the picture. Among those teams competing will be 2338, who has won it here for the past two years, as well as 1939, who has not only taken home a couple of RCAs themselves, but has already taken home an EI this year in St. Louis. We also have another winner from last year, **2526 **in attendance-- Minnesota teams have been unusually successful out of state this year, with RCA wins in Central Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The award very well may also go to 2039, who last took one home in 2015, or perhaps 1986, who hasn’t brought home an RCA since Central Illinois 2014.
The **Laguna **regional is perhaps a little light on the number of historically successful Chairman’s teams-- likely candidates here include 3478, who has a two-season streak to maintain, and perhaps 2283, who has a number of EI and RCA wins to their name, but none since 2015. We’ll also have a number of this season’s EI winners coming-- **3794 **and 5526, who might be prime candidates for the big trophy. Finally, also present will be 4401, who has already taken home an RCA win this year.
The Long Island regional is always an interesting one-- few teams win the award multiple times here, and none of them win it multiple years in a row. Combined with the many teams that attend this event every year and we have one of the longest lists of prior winners anywhere-- this event will have the **1796 **(2016), **1156 **(2015), **527 **(2014), **358 **(2013, 2005), **564 **(2012, 2003), **329 **(2011, 2008), **2638 **(2010), **353 **(2009), **1601 **(2007), **514 **(2006), **871 **(2004). That’s right. This event will have every single team that has won the RCA here since 2003 at the event. So what we’re saying is, who know how this one will go?
**Buckeye **Regional will be an excellent opportunity for a newcomer-- or perhaps an older team on a drought-- to take home the Chairman’s Banner. With **2614 **and **3324 **having already won, we could very well see any number of teams walk out with the award-- the frontrunners, though, are likely to be 3015, who brought home the award in Pittsburgh last year, or 3504, who has brought home a banner from Ohio before. We may well see **340 **add another banner to their 8 previous awards, or see a team flying under the radar bring it home. Hall of Famers **120 **will also be here.
The Brazos Valley Regional will be an interesting one for Chairman’s-- few teams here have any sort of history with Chairman’s or EI, meaning the opportunity is right for someone new to take home their first banner. Right now, the most likely candidate, however, is one of last year’s winners- 1296. We might also see **1817 **take it home, though they haven’t won RCA since 2012, or perhaps 418, who has a number of RCA and EI awards, but hasn’t won either since 2015.
Lone Star North will also be a bit light on previous winners-- other than teams who have already won this season such as 624, 1477, 3284, only one other team has ever taken home a Chairman’s Award-- **148 **in 2002. This means we might see some of the (also scant) previous EI winners such as **2881 **or **3103 **take home the award, or someone completely new.
Finally, the North Carolina District Championship will also be happening this weekend-- only one of the teams competing here has won a DCCA/RCA level Chairman’s Award, and that is 2642. All three other competitors (900, 3459, 3196) have brought home their first DCA banner this year, so it will be interesting to see what happens in North Carolina this weekend.
Good luck to all teams competing this weekend!
