New Jersey has always been a competitive regional. I do not know anything about Finger Lakes, but I always have a blast in New Jersey. Its well run, a lot of fun, and there are a lot of teams to talk to, as well as get to know. If you would like to do some pre-event scouting, you could check what teams are registered for certain events and see what the competition will be like.
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...ts.aspx?id=430
When it comes down to a regional, I would talk to everyone on the team and then come to an executive decision.