Ballerinas most likely go through lots of pairs of slippers. I’d also gander to say that those slippers for ballerinas are much more important than their tutus. They say runners should replace shoes every 500 miles treaded, for marathoners that’s a few months or less. For several sports feet are important and skateboarding is no exception.
Therefore it is not eccentric in any way that I have eight pairs of the same shoe in different colors. The shoe fetish is not the problem. The problem is I’m breaking two long-standing skate ethics by choosing the Adidas Businetz shoe. First I’m buying corporate instead of a skater owned brand. Secondly I’m using mail order instead of buying from a local skate shop.
As brief as possible I’ll defend my two blunders in the eyes of some skaters. Like three years ago I wrote a blog entry on Nike stating I didn’t like them. Since then they have sponsored a ton of skaters, made two quality videos, and built the Coleman skate park in the Lower East Side. They are corporate but they are doing things for skating. Adidas, Puma, Converse, New Balance, and all the other invading shoe companies are writing big checks to sponsored skaters. If we love skating and want the sport to progress we need more pro skaters making a living off the sport. I’ve changed my mind and I think big industry is the way to finance the pros.
Now I’ll address my mail order issue. Since moving to the Rockaways I’ve been ordering a lot of odds and ends. For skating I got three pairs of Businetz shoe at the same time. The original Businetz shoe fits my foot like a glove. I know my size, and they all skate the same. Years ago one friend told me he only skated the halfcab and always searched online for deals. I did not do that until I found a shoe I really liked. Now I search CCS or Skate Warehouse for when my shoe goes on sale. Businetz has a few more recent models, so most times I check I can find some colors discounted. The retail is $80 and for whatever reason some colors go down to about $60. This is convenient, and I don’t want to experiment with shoes. Anyone that has gotten a pair of skate shoes or any athletic shoe knows that a lot can go wrong with a bad fit. I also brought parts for a cruiser, and a deck online. I felt a little bad about that. Local skate shops are good for several reasons. One is seeing a deck before purchasing you can make a better evaluation. My resolve is to do a combination of mail order for shoes, but when I can I’ll buy a few things from shops too.
Skateboarders do talk and think about these issues. But skating regularly with your friends is ten times more important than the shoes worn or where you shop.
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