Like Amalda Marcos, I too am ga ga over shoes. As with Jordans and basketball, it is all about the shoes. Besides, without the right shoes its hard to “just do it”.
The importance of the right shoes for any activity should be immediately clear. Imagine playing basketball in tennis shoes or running a marathon in football cleats. Sure recipes for disaster. and just plain stupid. U get the point.
I’ve always liked the comfort and style of skateboarding sneaks, like Airwalks and Vans, even before I began rippin IT. I dug their stylish yet simple design and the soft cushy feel.
They are also an excellent accent for business casual attire in corporate America, where I spend most of my days.
Did I mention that skateboarding shoes are extremely cool lookin?
So when I began rippin it, I had yet another legitimate reason to buy these cool sneaks. I started out with DCs, initially. Probably because my snowboard boots are DCs, but also because of what they symbolize in youth culture – the epitome of cool. My 7 year old grandson wears them, and recently I learned that he also has a DC backpack for school. On a practical level, however, DC skateboarding shoes appear to be well designed for boarding activities like rip-stickin.
Over time I have accumulated 3 pairs of DC skateboarding shoes. First, I purchased a pair of low top gray and whites, which at the time totally matched the board I was rippin. In the “The Beginning” video I am riding on these.
Then I bought another pair of low tops, but this time in more of a muted black and blue.
Finally, I found my favorites, a pair of black suede-like hightops with brown and white trim.
I began wearing the hightops most of the time, especially on Sunday morning rides in Golden Gate park, when a chunk of the park is shut down to cars and other motor vehicles, and I knew lots of folks might be watching.
I also like these hightops for the additional ankle support they provide. Let’s face it, at our ripe age we need all of the support we can get.
As my rippin improved, I thought, gee, sure would be cool to be more connected with the board’, and strip away the rubber layers between us. So I went out a got a pair of Vibrams Trek Sport fingershoes. These are the ultimate in rippin IT shoes!
The Treksport’s “revolutionary design” allows my feet “to move more naturally and freely”.
In addition to the additional flexibilty, what makes the Vibrams Treksport special Rippin IT shoes are their “lightly cleated 4 mm Vibram performance rubber outsoles for extra traction” (see pic below).
Vibram Treksport on Blade Board
Turns out these cleats fit perfectly within the nubs that are part of the outer board edges of caster boards, providing a locked in ride and secure glide.
Forget about barefoot running which the Treksports were designed for.
At first I was concerned that I would not have enough support and might hurt myself, then I realized that unlike traditional skateboarding, there is no forward motion, so U tend not to be moving as fast forward. So the need for support may be less.
However, since U don’t have the extra support of traditional boarding shoes and because they are sooo grippy, your calf muscles will have to work harder to plant and stop U if you come off the board too fast. So do your jumping jacks and calf stretches to keep them strong and flexible.
In conclusion, I love ripstickin in Virbrams Treksport finger shoes best for Rippin IT for the above reasons. I still wear my other shoes, but not so much for riding anymore. Like me, OG Ce, Vibram’s are an anomaly; not only in the shoe world in general, but also for Rippin IT.
If U ride fast or are a trickster, stick with the more traditional skateboarding shoes like DCs. But if U roll like me, slow, injoying the waves, try Vibrams and become more at one with the board.
InJoy!
OG Ce
Leave a Reply