New thrower, couple of questions

Hi everyone. I've been looking to start into training for HG for 6 months or so, have a handle on homemade implements, got some of Matt Vincent's books, and am pretty confident I have the tools to begin. Just a couple of questions:

How are boot blades generally "installed" on the boots? I have the ability to make blades easily enough, but I can see a couple of different possibilities as far as mounting them.

I read here just a few minutes ago that there is a games event in Chicago coming up, but I can't seem to figure out how to locate details on it. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Anyone know of any groups or individuals in the Northwest Indiana area I could get with to train? I'm right on the south shore of Lake Michigan, just about 25 miles east of the IN/IL border. Thanks in advance!

Jeremy Gillingham lives in New Haven. Don't know where that is as I don't live in IN. Also it's my understanding that there is an Am/Master comp at Chicago the Friday of that weekend. The guy to contact about that is Jeff Armstrong. He is the guy who posted the Chicago thread. No idea if it's booked or anything but if you need answers, that's who I'd go to. 

Dan knows a few things about throwing hammer, so there is as close to a definitive answer as you can get. 

The biggest thing about attaching blades is to not put the bolts where the pressure points of your feet will be.  Larry Brock advised putting the front bolt just behind the pad of your second toe and the back bolt under your arch.  That's how I drill them and mount them, and it seems to work ok.

Tom

And, you don't really need them when you first start throwing. It takes a little time to learn that rotation that wants to pull your feet off the ground. Just saying, don't let blades stop you from competing or practicing.

Only problem with using lawnmower blades is when it's time to cut the yard and you have to reattach them to the mower.