Today I sharpened before skating (skipping the tape,) and it felt really good.  I suppose I went too long although it was less hours than I normally go.

The hardest part for me is to remember not to try stopping by dragging a toe pick when going backwards but to hockey stop instead.

I use a backwards snow plow, pressing through my heels, so not a problem.

I vaguely remember it being against USFS rules to use hockey boots (or blades) for tests - is that out of date? I might try to pass USFS Pre-Bronze skating skills.

Perhaps composite hockey skates stink more than leather figure skates.

Can anyone explain what makes ice "sticky"?

Is it simply temperature, or could impurities in the water make a difference?

Best of luck at your competitions!

Query, I used the Profiler on the blades of my old pair and was happy.  I just need to tally up my skating hours and see if it isn’t a bit early to bother.  I did have a difficult time finding tape that worked well.  The crappy stuff I had on hand made it jam up annoyingly.

Ah, yes, the pesky tape problem.  See my recommendation here:  https://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=6837.0  Reply#18.

Query, you might like them if you keep adjusting to the blades.  It doesn’t take too long to remember the lack of toe picks and curved tail.  The hardest part for me is to remember not to try stopping by dragging a toe pick when going backwards but to hockey stop instead. 
As for putting figure blades on that’s an interesting task.  I don’t know about adult sizes, but for kids it seems common to find hockey type boots with somewhat hybrid blades with a little toe pick.  You might like that?

Bill, what I see some of these guys doing is impressive.
The high level coach at my old rink could do pretty much anything in his hockey skates and probably doesn’t own a figure pair.  I’ve seen nice spins and jumps by guys in hockey skates quite often.  Then there are the handstands and other non-figure type stuff popular around here.