Just got back from the nationals.
Got my house to set up national patterns.  Practiced 2 weekends about 20 games.  Had the right equipment, knew where I was going to throw...I was ready.
Figured the line might be a board or two different from my house, so I Spent Team (528) and Doubles (479) trying to find the "Magic" line.
After kicking myself and blowing $200 in bracket money, I gave up.  I just picked a line, and made small adjustments from there, making sure I was executing to the best of my ability.  630 in Singles.  If I had been focusing on execution instead of the Magic line, I probably would have bowled a 1900 instead of 1600.  I had some normal carry issues in singles, but nothing like Team and doubles.
Lanes are a little slicker in Team, but you can probably use the same ball for Team and minors.  Just practice you execution and timing.  Pick a target and go.

How did your practice play vs the stadium? We had 4 weeks on the nationals pattern (2 weeks each on team and s/d) and it played completely different when I got to the stadium. I was actually surprised at how much more hook I got up in Reno vs at home.

Here is what is debatable about Nationals.  In order to place high in the team event, you need 5 guys to play together in a similar spot on the lane and break it down.  Thing is.......you MUST pick carefully who your teammates are.  Reason is because if you dont, then you have no chance to place high regardless of the line you play.  A guy who is pretty rev dominate is not going to be able to play up 7-8-9 and be successful just the same as a guy who is pretty speed dominate.  You need 5 guys with similar games using similar surfaces with similar ball strengths. 

What I am going to have to do, is take something from 10 years ago or use my Tornado to have any chance of being a "team player".  There is no way that I may be able to play that far right unless I can increase my ball speed from 17.5 to closer to 20mph.  Same as a guy who is speed dominate.  Someone like that will need to use something with a bunch of surface; say 500-800 grit.  They will not be able to use 2000-4000 with a 200 rev rate throwing 20mph. 

In order to have a high scoring team, you will need 5 guys that are pretty matched up with their ball speed and rev rates; say a guy who is 17mph with 300 rev rate or 20mph with 500 rev rate.

To practice at home is almost useless unless you can exactly duplicate everything (lane surface, pattern, volume, same oil being used, etc...)  You are almost better off saving your cash and just doing the Showcase Lanes and even then, such as last year, it may not be exactly to what you will see when the arrows go up.  Evey year is a different experience and yet the area you play on the lane is going to be similar each time.

I definately agree you need to choose carefully who you have to have on your team. You all have to work together. And be willing to do whats best for the team to work things out. But I dont 100% agree or disagree with not having a high rev guy part. Look at the team leading now. Scott newell is an amazing bowler and a high rev rate but ccan use his rev rate to help the team and play right to help the team. Not all high rev guys can only play in. But thats just a side note. The teams having success work together and do whats best for everyone and not just themselves. When coming up with our team we know each others games very well. Work together and are out to help each other.

I agree with you 100%.  I am not saying that you cant have a high rev rate guy.  I am saying that you cant have the rev dominate guy and expect him to play up the outside/track area and be successful.  Its one thing to be 20mph with 500rpms and be 16mph with 500rpms.  The guy at 16mph has no chance of playing outside and scoring well unless maybe he is using something like a polished urethane.  My main point was that choose your team carefully if you are trying to place high in the team event.  Just assembling 5 guys averaging 220+ on a THS doesnt always equate to shooting 3200+ at Nationals.  All I am saying, yo!! 

TwoHand,
    Actually you are incorrect in your statement. For better or worse Nationals isn't about a 5 man team anymore, it is truly about a 10 man team. You need 10 guys, all willing to work together for the greater good, playing similar lines breaking down the lanes correctly in order to achieve high scores. All the teams that have won the last 5 years, have done this. Riggs has 10 guys going committed to the plan. Nicholas J Pro Shop has 2 teams. The teams at the top this year are part of two team groups.
 
    In regarding styles, while it helps to have people with all similar styles, it isn't always available. What I think you need is the majority of people with similar styles. Have one high rev player playing inside of everyone won't wreck the pattern too bad, especially this year with the new Ice oil. But having 2 or 3 of them will. Having one speed dominant person throwing a high grit surface won't wreck the pattern but having multiple one's will. Actually if you balance it out right having one of each can actually help. The speed dominant player can play a few boards right of everyone, drying up that line. The rev dominant player can be inside of everyone, usually throwing something more polished pushing the oil down....that creates a big window for the others right in the middle, miss right hit the dry created by the high grit ball, miss left hit the oil pushed down by the polished ball.

BHS,
   Are you sure about that? I thought Erik V's (I am not even going to attempt to spell and butcher his last name, lol) wife Amanda bowled with him as well. I read where she is retiring from bowling due to health issues. So was she just bowling D/S? Also if they were alone, why were they Junior Team USA Support 1 as if there is a Junior Team USA Support 2 as well? Just asking the questions because I know in the past these guys came with 2 teams. It doesn't matter how good of bowlers are on the second team (although it helps to have better bowlers) as long as they are committed to playing the same area.
 
   As far as D/S, yes there are only 6 people per pair. But if you read the article on bowl.com Erik mentioned how they still worked together and how it took longer to break down the pattern. Having the 10 people make sure that 1 pair and 2/3rds of a second pair are all playing the same area and help make it easier to put up such an impressive Team AE score (4th best all time I believe).

there isn’t even enough entries to have 6 on every pair for S/D this year. A lot of the pairs when I was there (this past week) only had 4 per pair. Also the amount of shifts are way down to. This like everything else bowling is just falling apart.

I agree with this pretty strongly (at least regarding the tourney), though there are a lot of reasons for it.  The tourney being in Reno over and over is one.  The economy and costs of going to Reno is another.  The realization by some bowlers that they have no chance of even seeing a check from the tourney is yet another.  The sport as a whole is in decline too and has been for some time.

dmonroe814 - I feel the same way. Am i ever going to win any event, nope. Am i ever going to break even on brackets, probably not. Last year we cashed team event, $26 a person. This year we inished about projected to cash lien for team and doubles.  I see my dad once a year and its for a week at the open. As long as I bowl equal to or better then previous year I am pretty happy.