Guide To Buying Athletic Shoes

At the turn of the century, people all over the world have realized the need to have recreational activities in their lives as a form of relaxation. Then the need for better equipment offering performance enhancing and protection features started to arise. In the early 50's these types of activities eventually moved into the arenas like the gladiators were. The rapid evolution on the development of athletic equipments particularly on the footwear area was on the mid 80's. Before, athletic shoes were just made out of canvas with rubber soles.

The development of athletic shoes is parallel to the boom in professional sports. Nowadays, athletic shoes have all these mind boggling features that range from compressed air soles to materials used in Formula 1 racing.

The first thing you should consider when purchasing athletic shoes is the sport you will be engaging in when wearing them. Different types of floor or court will yield to different types of traction. So if for example you will be playing football, you should use football shoes to give you more traction on the turf so as not to be wasting energy running on slippery moist grass. After knowing the sport you'll be using it for, know what type of feet you have as well as be aware of your body type.

Large / wide built
Buy athletic shoes that have a wide sole as a base. This will help absorb the shock as you land your foot on the ground when running and jumping. This will also help you with your balance.

Slender / lean built
Athletic shoes with a narrow sole as a base is best suited for this built. Since these are slender in design, the contact on the surface area is less thus giving mobility making the athlete move swiftly.

Size
Always keep in mind to buy athletic shoes with one size or two sizes bigger because the feet have the tendency to swell due to the pounding and stress while playing. Also, athletes usually tend to wear thick socks and neoprene tapes to protect ankles and calves from bruises and sprains.

In general the main factor here is comfort. Ensure that the toes are not constricted so that blisters, bruises and calluses are prevented from developing. The padding on the heels must be soft to avoid bruises on the balls of the heels which can be very painful. Avoid buying athletic shoes that don't have any allowance or are too tight for this may result to injuries to the other parts of the body.

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Keeping That Mouse Out of the House

Keeping That Mouse Out of the House

“I thought we had mice!”  If we were living in the 19th century or out on the farm, you’d expect the comment.  But, in suburbia?   In 2008?  Why do we increasingly hear this hushed exasperation from mothers in the most affluent neighborhoods in America?  What could be the source of the seemingly endless little black droppings that have been creeping into our foyers and mudrooms and closets?

Before you call the exterminator or go searching the local hardware store for mousetraps, take a look at what is trailing your children home from their athletic fields and playgrounds.

On closer inspection, you will find that the source of the incessant mess is not some furry rodent, but small particles of black rubber from the synthetic turf field that your child plays on.  These small beads are called “infill” or “crumb rubber” made from ground up tires.  Without them, the plastic grass wouldn’t stand up on the field and the turf wouldn’t have its performance characteristics. 

However, none of that really matters to you.  What you care about is the fact that you can’t get it out of your child’s socks; that it melts to the sides of your dryer; that it is so hard to sweep up; that it could be eaten by your youngest toddler.  And, that IT JUST WON’T GO AWAY.

Where This Stuff Came From

First generation Astroturf was pioneered in the 1960’s and installed, most famously, in the Houston Astrodome.  This initial surface was basically an indoor/outdoor carpet on top of a pad over an asphalt base.  Countless knee injuries and concussions forced the industry to create a second-generation product -- one that could still work indoors and withstand multiple uses.  The new synthetic turf fields have plastic “grass” blades set within a crumb rubber or sand base.  Today, there are dozens of manufacturers, hundreds of installers and thousands of fields being installed at rate of increase between 10 and 20% per year.  The industry won a major victory this summer when synthetic turf received a clean bill of health from the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

With the number of girls and boys participating in athletics at the highest levels in recorded history, along with the ever decreasing amount of field space in suburban communities, synthetic turf fields are not going away any time soon.  They allow for multiple high school teams, youth organizations and adult leagues to co-exist on the same facility space.  Grass fields could not stand up to these demands.  And, we do want our kids to have that opportunity.  Right?

We Hear You

So, how do we handle the mess?  Should we just grumble and get out the vacuum every afternoon when the kids come home?  Absolutely NOT.

The solution lies in an innovative product by a grassroots company from Fairfield, Connecticut.  Turf Dawg USA, started by a couple of high school teachers, has developed a product that lets everyone have their way.  Turf Dawgs are small neoprene gaiters that can attach to any type of shoe, cleat or sneaker.  They are lightweight and comfortable.  Kids are going to love them because they can fully customize them online (www.turfdawgusa.com) to include their team logos, school colors or roster numbers.  Sensitive to the needs of various community groups, the product can also be distributed through a variety of fundraising packages that the company offers to interested organizations.

But the best part is that they really work.  The consumer performance rating from a November lacrosse showcase in the Hampshire Dome was 100%!  Previous product testing in other competitive tournaments has revealed similar results.  At the National Lacrosse Youth Festival in June, 120 players dragged in 41 grams of infill from one 30-minute game compared with 0.15 grams from shoes that were protected with Turf Dawgs.  The bottom line: Turf Dawgs will simply decrease the amount of time you spend cleaning up after their practices.

This makes the overall moral of our story very simple:  When it comes to chasing the mice out of the house, sometimes a Dawg is better than a cat.

About the Author

Kathryn was born and raised in Fairfield, CT. She received degrees from Gibbs College and from Sacred Heart University. After 16 years as an account manager in a transnational firm out of Hong Kong, she resigned to become the mother to four children. She is currently the secretary of a local church.