Blake Edison

Senior Jaise Combs wears a pair of Nike Sabrina 1s during a basketball game against Glendale.

From shoes sliding on hardwood floors of a basketball court to cleats kicking up turf on a football field, athletic shoes can be a vital aspect of one’s play in their respective sport. For some athletes, their footwear is only a tool they use to perform well while playing the game they love. Others see it as a gateway to self-expression, a way to show their personality and the things that mean the most to them.
Athletes can feel a personal attachment to their shoes. Senior Brooke Teter holds personal value in the shoes she wore during her junior basketball season.
“My shoes my junior year were my favorite,” Teter said. “They were [Nike] Sabrina 1s, and they had my name on them. My junior season was one of my favorites so I love that I can attach those shoes with that season.”
Shoes can help differentiate players and help them stand out.
“Shoes are significant because it is a small way to express yourself because everyone has to wear the same jersey but everyone can wear whatever shoes,” Teter said.
Athletic shoes can show one style of play in their respective sport.
“A colorway also does kind of play a big factor because it kind of shows the personality of somebody’s game,” junior Abram Sanders said. “So like, if they already just get, like a super minimalistic shoe, like black … you can tell somebody’s very fundamental. [If] they get like, a super loud colorway shoe, then you can tell their game is super creative.”
Confidence is an important trait to have when playing a sport. Teter said wearing her old shoes gives her a boost in confidence.
“I think it is different for everyone,” Teter said. “But I think that if I wear my old shoes that I know I have performed well in, I like to wear those in big games because it makes me feel like I know I will perform.”
For athletic shoes, one size or brand doesn’t fit all. Sanders found difficulty finding the right show for himself.
“I couldn’t wear … like Stephen Curry shoes,” Sanders said. “I can’t wear Kevin Durant’s shoes because my foot is wider than everybody else’s. So LeBron [James’s shoes] just ended up fitting me, so I looked more towards LeBron’s shoes.”
For athletes, being able to switch out the shoes they wear for sports into causal shoes is vital in comfort and recovery.
“I like [wearing] two strap Birkenstocks … I like to wear those because they’re comfortable, and they’re kind of like a recovery shoe,” junior Urban Arnold said. “I’ll also wear like Yeezy slides, because those are like, super squishy [and] soft. So those are also like a pretty good recovery shoe for after workouts.”
Arnold said there can be stereotypes for people based on what footwear preferences they have.
“I feel like any sort of like athletic shoe would lead you to perceive them as being like a runner or like an athlete,” Arnold said. “But then people who wear slides or like slip-on shoes or any sort of comfort kind of shoe, you perceive them as more lazy. But like, that’s just a stereotype that people would associate with that.”