New Shoes, Who Dis?
Jumping into the sand pit with her jumping spikes, senior Gretchen Fiebig tackles her triple jump event at South Relays.
April 22, 2016
To run a good race, comfortable, lightweight shoes that fit properly and had good traction were ideal. It was all about the running shoes. Popular brands of running shoes were Nike, Asics, New Balance and Adidas which could all be purchased at a local sports store.
Senior Gretchen Fiebig had a lot of experience with track shoes since she ran track starting her freshman year.
“I did long jump and triple jump, so I had Adidas tennis shoes for that, and then Brooks for running. I also had two pairs of Nike spikes for running and jumping in meets,” Fiebig said.
In South Relays, Saturday, April 2, Fiebig placed third in triple jump.
A good pair of running shoes like Nike ranged from $60-$130.
“They were all usually around $120-$150 and you had to have certain spikes for jumping so there weren’t a ton of options. I just chose the best looking ones and I chose my running shoes because they’re neon and look fast,” Fiebig said.
Junior Cosmina Backs had some experience with buying shoes just in time for the track season.
“My blue and white spikes that I got from Dick’s Sporting Goods were around $70 and I got them because they were the most comfortable for me and they were my favorite colors so I couldn’t resist,” Backs said.
Of course, the color and style of the shoe were an important decision in purchasing the shoes. Sophomore Maicel Smith made sure he got a cool pair of spikes for his track season.
“The regular running shoes I use for practices and warm ups are New Balances. My running spikes are Nike. For my regular running shoes, I went to Shoe Carnival and for my spikes, I went to Champs. I thought the running shoes were clean. My spikes represented South because of the colors green and gold,” Smith said.
A pair of running shoes could get beat up pretty bad throughout the season, so runners usually got a new pair for practices before the season started each year.
“I try to get new spikes every 2 years and get new running shoes every year or two depending on how much I’ve worn them out,” Backs said.
