for those of you who have attempted a PBA Regional, what did you wait for in your game before going?  Which pattern did you look for?  How did you do?

I ask because I noticed there is a Regional about an hour and a half from me coming up in October.  Chameleon is the pattern, and looks like people are less likely to go super huge on that pattern, with spares being the name of the game.  I am considering going as a learning experience.  Albeit, I averaged 202 and 203 the last two years, last year I made some changes to my game, where and how I play the game, and how my equipment is drilled, and feel this year could be 215+, and that's in an inconsistent wood house. 

I'm not looking to be berated for thinking about doing this.  I am however looking for constructive advice and hear of experiences from others who may have already been in this position.

If you only average 203 on a house shot, you're in for a very rude awakening.

I applaud your effort, but i would first bowl in smaller king of the hill or sweeper tournaments on tougher shots before dropping the almost 300 bucks just to say you bowled in a regional. 

Not everyone bowls just for the money and some people do things like this because they can.  Most people hope to get to a point in life where $300 isn't a lot of money and it is a cheap couple of day doing something they enjoy. 

Have you had the opportunity to bowl on any sport or PBA patterns either in tournament or in league.  If you haven't then it is going to be a little tough to advise you.  The one thing I can say, is that the Chameleon, while often low scoring, does give players the opportunity to attack the lanes from varying angles.  If your strength is going direct from outside you can probably find a place to play out there.  If you like to get in you can probably find a place to play inside as long as you don't try to cover too many boards going away.

Also what do you use for spare ball.  If you use a spare ball for corner pins only, I would consider using it on most of your non double wood spares.  Biggest difference you will notice on any fresh strip tourney pattern is that the ball really comes hard off the end of the oil when you play 4 pins or buckets.  I can almost guarantee that anyone throwing at their first 4 pin will miss it on the left if the shoot it like they do a house shot.   

Thanks for all the input so far.

I use a Crown (Poly) for my spares.

Currently i'm perusing through the tournament results for the central region see what kind of scores have been bowled on the pattern in the past.

I think I may wait, merely cause the almost $300 is a lot to scrounge in a month for me currently with little notice to gain some practice sessions on synthetic lanes (25 miles or more away, I bowl on wood).  I know practice on the wood would be good, but not as good on synthetic.

Instead, I think I will attempt to seek out other tournaments nearby for the competition practice, at a cheaper price, for now, and hope for a close regional next year. 

What pattern would be a suggestion for a first time oil pattern to look for?  Things to work on to get the game as prepared as possible?

As for prior experience on the stuff, been about 7 years at seeing it.

My usual shot right now in league is starting crossing the arrows around 3rd, getting out to about the 5-6 board at the back side of the range finders.  The house is typically a bit more oily than the other houses within 75 minutes.

I'm going to be frank, I don't think you're ready. 203 avg suggests there are some holes in your game, be it spares or stringing strikes. 3rd arrow out to 5-6 is cute on house, on regional stuff that's way too much angle. Last thing you want to be known as is a shimwrecker.

Work on keeping your angles in front of you and multiple pin spares.

I agree totally about getting some experience in less expensive scratch tournaments if any are available.  Even if contested on house shots, the longer format and the pressure of making cuts will be worth the experience.

I have bowled about 8-10 regionals in my lifetime so far. I have finished as low as second to last and I have finished as high as 3rd, and everywhere in between. I know you said you don't want to be berated, and I hope you won't take this as such, but I don't think you are ready to bowl a regional yet. I think you need to find a house that will put down a sports patten or PBA pattern for you to practice on. Spare shooting is much different on these patterns than a house shot. Even though you throw plastic at spares now, do you hook it at them, even a little? If so, that won't work on Sports patterns, you need to go dead straight at the spares, and that takes some practice. Also how you adjust on these patterns is different, sometimes the correct adjustment is opposite what you would make on a house shot. Even if you do move the same way, it won't be as big of move as you probably make on the house shot. All these things take time to learn. Maybe you an find a summer league that uses Sports patterns in your area next year if you can't find a center willing to put one out for you. Also your "typical" shot won't play on a tougher, flatter pattern. While you may get a few stares and a few hushed comments about being a "shimwrecker", this isn't a team tournament where everyone is trying to play them the same. Feel free to play the way you think you will score the best, I have seen guys crossing 3rd/4th arrow on fresh Cheetah before. But I will tell you, that those who make the second day, and the finals, all seem to play around where "they" tell you to play these patterns.
 
The other thing to remember, and it was mentioned above, is don't put too much stock into the Friday practice session. Lanes keep a memory, and the memory is usually of the house shot. So the Friday practice session has hook left over from the house shot memory. On Saturday, the lanes will play tighter as the lanes has been stripped and the PBA pattern put down 2 or 3 times (depending on what squad you bowl on Saturday), losing part of the house shot memory. If you are lucky enough to make it to Sunday, the lanes will play tighter yet. All this plays into where you play and how you adjust.
 
But, even if you don't do any of this, that doesn't mean you shouldn't enter a tournament. I mean look at the USBC Masters and how many people have come from nowhere to win that tournament. Any weekend, anyone can get matched up and win. Try to find a patten that plays to your strengths....if you like playing inside try Shark where the shot will typically be inside. If you like playing the gutter, try Cheetah, etc.. Be respectful of the other bowlers and make sure you are aware of the courtesy rules. Dress appropriately including your name on the back of your shirt and PBA patches (which can be purchased at the Regional site). And treat the money like you would if you were going to Vegas, set aside the amount you willing to lose (the $300 entry fee plus high game pots if you want, new ball if you want to get one for it, etc.) and don't go over that amount. If you do that, you can try to have some fun and learn from the experience.