I hope you take first place!

Haha, If I don’t that would be a bit sad if I’m the only one in the category.   
I would love to have some others along with me, and my biggest goal is to look prettier (movements) than last season with my silly airplane arms.   

I had to email the club and ask for the requirements, because I couldn’t for the life of me find them to make sure I have things correct for silver there.  Google gets me information, but I can’t be sure it is correct for that particular event.  It’s so confusing!

I’m excited right now, because my husband just agreed that I can sign up for Oberstdorf this year!  I’m so much more motivated now!  It’s a long drive but straight down one autobahn from us, very simple, and he is interested to sight see.   

I’m in the city for two more days before the boot appointment than I realised, so I have decided to bring my current pair for sure so I can skate a bit at either Wollman, Manhattan West, or World Ice.  Depending on plans with friends and family perhaps all three, haha.  Then freestyle at City Ice Pavillion to see how the new boots and blades feel. 
I’ve never been to Wollman but might meet up with a skating buddy who loves the atmosphere.  It’s more of a trek for me though.  World Ice is walking distance, and Manhattan West is right outside the building that some good friends live in, so those are most likely.  I can’t wait!

Thought about it, but never attempted it. I've used dozens of the threaded inserts for various woodworking projects.

I suspect that working with leather soles would be straightforward for the typical insert, but I've never seen an insert having outside threads specifically for plastic.

There are two that I'd consider using. First is the common brass threaded insert with self-tapping threads on the outside and machine screw threads (i.e., 8-32) on the inside. Length may be an issue in a thinner sole, but they can be shortened.

Here are some of them being installed into MDF...



The second type is one often used in loudspeaker building called a Hurricane Nut. They have a wide washer area and would have to be installed inside the boot. They are thin, so perhaps an insole would prevent the skater from feeling their ~ 0.030" height. The shot below shows them being inserted into a loudspeaker baffle with some glue to prevent them from spinning.



The heel, being tall, would require some thought about how to best use these inserts. Longer screws would be one option.

With either of these two methods, accuracy of hole placement would be of utmost importance.
 

Get well, Alba!

Thank you Query.  I missed this comment until now, sorry.  I’m doing a lot better but not great still. 

I’m really excited about the new skates. 
I also did sign up for my club’s competition.  My NY coach doesn’t think I’ll be against anyone though, so it’s more of a showcase.  I should add time and elements to my old program since I’m doing silver this time (for the Bucharest Open I kept my bronze program and music since I had even less chance to make changes for silver even though Coach Awesome had some suggestions and critiques… not much can be done a day or two beforehand.   ) 

I have very little time on the ice in the few weeks before it for practicing or learning the changes.  My German coach is enthusiastic about it all.  She says she has ideas.   

Now I’m mostly just nervous about using new boots to compete!  I’m considering bringing the old skates just in case, but we have a lot to pack and bring back making that backup a bit crazy.  I’m not even likely to take my competition dress since it is rather heavy… a cheap black leotard and wrap dance skirt will work???  I’ll see…
 

Have to say I'm a bit confused by some of the responses as the thread seems to have got a bit off track.

I was thinking that moving the blade back would help to ensure the rocker is in the correct position under the foot, and that is the main reason why it could be beneficial? I suppose it does mean the toe pick location relative to the foot changes too, but not sure that has as much impact as the the rocker location?

I'll give you a simplified perspective.  If you want to play around with your equipment, there's no harm in doing so, as long as the changes you make can be readily undone.  So if you simply want to change the placement or orientation of your blade relative to the boot for whatever reason, go ahead and try it.  It doesn't matter what you define as the rocker, sweet spot, or anything else.

Depending on how close the new mounting holes are to the old mounting holes, you might need to plug the old holes first.  If the new mount doesn't work out, again you might need to plug a set of existing holes before drilling new ones.  I highly recommend permanent plugs cemented in with suitable adhesive, not simply pounded in.

On the other hand, I'd be really, really leery of changes such as:

And of course, an alternative way to make someone touch the toe pick less often would be to trim the drag pick - which would not adjust the sweet spot.

Once you've trimmed the drag pick, it can't be readily undone (in the event that what you consider to be the sweet spot does depend on the height of the drag pick; or in the event that the height of the drag pick affects something else).

Once screws are placed in the "permanent mounting holes", then it's easy to remove then replace the blades without changing their position on the sole.

However, removing then replacing screws that often in soles, whether plastic or leather, is fraught with peril. One small over-tighten slip can strip the threads in the sole. That leads to a lot of work to get back on the ice. Over time, the threads themselves will weaken too. Removing/replacing screws every 20 hours would make me nervous.