I Live in My Sneakers These Days

How sneakers revolutionized comfort for this senior

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I was in eighth grade when I got my first pair of sneakers. The white Keds sat on my closet floor, waiting for the end of the school day when I could swap out the brown and beige Buster brown saddle shoes for the oh so comfy sneakers. Ah! I remember sliding them on and taking off outside to play kickball or jump rope with my friends.

Until eighth grade, I had two pairs of shoes, categorized by function: church shoes (most often Mary Janes) and play shoes ( almost always saddle shoes). Never the two shall meet.

Then, sometime in 1968, Mom bought us sneakers. There was no turning back. I got a pair of white Keds, often called tennis shoes, and my brother scored a pair of black “ Chuck’s.”All-Stars sneakers, which were used by basketball players, now filled gym classes across the country.

In the 1970s, there was an explosion of brands of sneakers. Adidas, Nike, and Puma, among others, developed new forms of rubber for better cushioning and stronger canvases for durability.

What was once found only in gym classes found its way to the streets and, for many folks, sneakers became a part of daily life.