Top 15 Kicks I’ve Owned #13- Nike SB Blazer

I was skateboarding before skateboarding was cool, before it was en vogue, before it was outlawed everywhere you look.

This was my gang-

Well part of the gang.  We skated everywhere.  Some of the dudes we rode with did the knee push (like they show in Boyz in the Hood) because they couldn’t stand and roll.

I’m not saying it like I invented skateboarding, I say it because when you’re about to turn 30, saying you did something 20 years ago sounds cool.  Sounds official.  At 8 we’d skate 2 towns over to the Aquarium on the bike trail.  Skating 6 miles away at 8 is like an ant carrying 100x its own weight.  Peep the route:

Then we stopped.  My friends who were all skating in the late 80’s/early 90’s found basketball, girls, drugs, apathy.  Skating alone sucks but I kick myself every day in the ass for not keeping on it.  I could be Rob Dyrdek with a fantasy factory of my own. Ok probably not, but hitting a tre flip here n there would be nice.

But that was 20 years ago.

Fast forward to today and suddenly I find myself wanting to ride.  I already detailed the motivations for why we roll, John with his moto (or enjoi deck), Phil on the fixed gear, RTY en monopatin.

But when I stumbled upon this deck, I was transformed, better, transported back into time.  Eyes open.  Next thing I know Vans are everywhere.  Fantasy Factory is on TV.  Not a night goes by that I dont hear a skateboard, with the trademark sidewalk crack “clack-clack clack-clack” rhythm and rumble on the street below.  Every kid in America is now a skateboarder, even if they’ve never stepped foot on a deck.

But I noticed something funny going on.

I’m not the only one.

BUT what motivated me to pick up the board in the late 2o’s, like what was THE first thing that did it?  Nike got me again- they don’t just sell products, they sell a lifestyle:

Click (tail).  Silence (air).  Brrrrrrr (land it).

When I saw this video I’m like yo, I need to be back on a board STAT!  The way he wakes up and just jumps on a board on a sunny day.  Ollie that errant bike. Paul Rodriguez makes skateboarding look dumb easy.  It is dumb hard.

Nike SBs (SB=Skateboarding) have been around for a minute but I had no real connection to em.  Fools were waiting in line for Tiffany dunks and pigeon dunks and it never drew me in.  Mike didn’t score 63 in em so I’m not interested.  But as a natural progression and extension of my Nike allegiance, SB’s were a logical next step.  I bought the Blazers not to skate in but to rock casually (though when they are too run down I plan to turn them into shoes for riding.)  The Blazer first debuted in 1973 as a basketball shoe, worn by such greats as Mr. George “One Thing I could Do was Finger roll” Gervin.

Design wise I believe they are a thing of beauty, and because they are SB’s nike adds extra cushioning for the rigors of riding, so they’re comfortable to boot.

The vulcanized sole is really an under-appreciated design element.  Vulcs are the hallmark of skateboarding shoes and is usually embodied by a stark white sole.

Wikipedia says: Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent “curatives.” These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks (bridges) between individual polymer chains.^[1] Vulcanized material is less sticky and has superior mechanical properties. A vast array of products are made with vulcanized rubber including tires, shoe soles, hoses, and hockey pucks. The process is named after Vulcan, Roman god of fire. Hard vulcanized rubber sometimes sold under the brand names ebonite or vulcanite, and is used to make hard articles such as bowling balls and saxophone mouth pieces.

RTY Says: The sole adds something by what it takes away- it breaks up, in this case, the blackness.  It’s like you’re chillin’ on a hoverboard of white floating through the streets. The swoosh pops and because it is rounded and exaggerated like an artist’s brush stroke it is much more aesthetically pleasing than the Oregon behemoth’s more angular modern day incarnation of the symbol.  They look good with khakis and they look good with jeans.  They were cool in ’73 and they’re cool today.  It’s definitely a departure from the gaudy HEY LOOK AT ME look that a lot of kicks go for these days.  They’re not exclusive.  You’re not gonna break necks.  You don’t have to camp out for them. Exactly what I need in my life right now.

#15- Reebok Ice Creams, Diamond Flavor

#14- And 1 Tai Chi

#13- Nike SB Blazer

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