OT: Your first pair of cleats
- Thread starter zappaa
- Start date
My first of cleats were FootJoy the classic white and black. Didn't start playing football until Junior year HS. My cleats in HS were a lot better then the 1950s vintage cleats handed to me at Rutgers. Most of the scrubs bought our own. Black Pumas. Forget the store but we all got a great deal. Great shoes.
I remember hating when I had to start wearing cleats. I found them very uncomfortable. I also remember showing up to my first tee-ball practice with no glove because I guess my mom thought that would be provided, and all the other kids yelling out to each other, "He's got no mitt! The new kid has no mitt!"
A couple years later I got my own bat. I still couldn't get on base if my life depended on it, but one of my teammates hit a homer with it and I finally felt like I contributed on offense.
My dad sometimes let me borrow his massive softball glove from his youth when we were throwing a ball around in the yard. He told me it fell off a truck. For over a decade until I learned what that means, I had this image in my head of a pickup truck overfilled with baseball gloves haphazardly driving down my dad's street and one falling out of the bed after hitting a pothole or something. I played on a softball team a few years ago and used it there. The 40+ year old laces came apart while attempting to catch a routine pop fly.
The first pieces of equipment I remember being really excited about were around the year 2000: the Easton Synergy hockey stick, and the Mission Proto VSi roller hockey boots with the Vibe chassis. The Synergy was the first one-piece composite stick to hit the market and it seemed like everyone in the NHL was using it. It was also the most expensive stick at the time, at $150, which would seem like a bargain these days sadly. As an immature and ignorant teenager, I wanted it so badly I didn't even bother doing any research on what flex or blade curve would be right for me. When I ordered it, all that the online shop had available was one of the stiffest flexes and a curve that was an absolute banana. I couldn't get used to it at all. Ended up cutting the blade off and putting a different one on, negating the appeal of the stick being a one-piece composite. I think I just gave it to a friend at some point, and now 20 years later I use it as my backup stick just for the purpose of maybe finally getting some use out of it.
The Mission skates were about $500-600, and were the first to use the Vibe shocks on the chassis, which were supposed to give you a better turning radius, but really all they did was add weight and ensure that you wiped out if you took a turn too sharp because the Vibe component would hit the floor. Before my last year of semi-pro 5 years ago, I found a pair of the same boots unused and with upgraded chassis on ebay for $100. I probably had by far the oldest skates in the league.
A couple years later I got my own bat. I still couldn't get on base if my life depended on it, but one of my teammates hit a homer with it and I finally felt like I contributed on offense.
My dad sometimes let me borrow his massive softball glove from his youth when we were throwing a ball around in the yard. He told me it fell off a truck. For over a decade until I learned what that means, I had this image in my head of a pickup truck overfilled with baseball gloves haphazardly driving down my dad's street and one falling out of the bed after hitting a pothole or something. I played on a softball team a few years ago and used it there. The 40+ year old laces came apart while attempting to catch a routine pop fly.
The first pieces of equipment I remember being really excited about were around the year 2000: the Easton Synergy hockey stick, and the Mission Proto VSi roller hockey boots with the Vibe chassis. The Synergy was the first one-piece composite stick to hit the market and it seemed like everyone in the NHL was using it. It was also the most expensive stick at the time, at $150, which would seem like a bargain these days sadly. As an immature and ignorant teenager, I wanted it so badly I didn't even bother doing any research on what flex or blade curve would be right for me. When I ordered it, all that the online shop had available was one of the stiffest flexes and a curve that was an absolute banana. I couldn't get used to it at all. Ended up cutting the blade off and putting a different one on, negating the appeal of the stick being a one-piece composite. I think I just gave it to a friend at some point, and now 20 years later I use it as my backup stick just for the purpose of maybe finally getting some use out of it.
The Mission skates were about $500-600, and were the first to use the Vibe shocks on the chassis, which were supposed to give you a better turning radius, but really all they did was add weight and ensure that you wiped out if you took a turn too sharp because the Vibe component would hit the floor. Before my last year of semi-pro 5 years ago, I found a pair of the same boots unused and with upgraded chassis on ebay for $100. I probably had by far the oldest skates in the league.
Used to go to that Grants in the 50’s when I lived in Roselle.
My son loves away games more than home games because we have this little ritual eating the same breakfast sandwiches and yoohoo before driving to wherever the game is.
I don't specifically remember my first pair of cleats but I do remember going to Mainerio's in Nutley (still open today) to get my first mouthpiece and first cup in August 1988 for my first year of football. After that, our summers started to be scheduled around football. Most trips to the Shore or the Poconos took place in July, and if they did spill over into August we knew we'd be home prior to the first day of practice.
During the first week of August you could start to see nighttime creep in just a little bit earlier; that became one of the telltale signs that football would be starting very soon. We used to start sometime during the 2nd or so week of August and we'd get equipment sometime around or after the 15th. I can still remember my first-ever scrimmage against Wayne (the field was off of Black Oak Ridge Road I think) and we did well...then we got yelled at by Coach Wake for acting like goofballs on the bus before we even left the field😂😂...sometimes it's tough to believe it's actually been 32 years already (1988 and 1989 for good measure):
Joe P.
During the first week of August you could start to see nighttime creep in just a little bit earlier; that became one of the telltale signs that football would be starting very soon. We used to start sometime during the 2nd or so week of August and we'd get equipment sometime around or after the 15th. I can still remember my first-ever scrimmage against Wayne (the field was off of Black Oak Ridge Road I think) and we did well...then we got yelled at by Coach Wake for acting like goofballs on the bus before we even left the field😂😂...sometimes it's tough to believe it's actually been 32 years already (1988 and 1989 for good measure):
Joe P.
I think my first pair were for youth soccer (and then I wore the same ones for youth baseball the following spring) and they were hand-me-downs that came from one of my cousins. The hand me downs stopped after about 5th grade or so.
I didn't get the opportunity to wear sport-specific cleats until I got a pair of spikes for baseball in the spring of my senior year of HS. Prior to that, freshman through junior years was the same pair of cleats for both soccer and baseball. I was just glad it would at least be a new pair each year in late August even though my shoe size didn't really change after freshman year. So they were new for soccer in the fall but worn out a bit by the time baseball started in the spring. My dad was of the opinion that only one pair of cleats should get me through the school year regardless of number of sports I might need them for (which wouldn't have been more than 2 sports anyway between the fall and spring seasons).
I didn't get the opportunity to wear sport-specific cleats until I got a pair of spikes for baseball in the spring of my senior year of HS. Prior to that, freshman through junior years was the same pair of cleats for both soccer and baseball. I was just glad it would at least be a new pair each year in late August even though my shoe size didn't really change after freshman year. So they were new for soccer in the fall but worn out a bit by the time baseball started in the spring. My dad was of the opinion that only one pair of cleats should get me through the school year regardless of number of sports I might need them for (which wouldn't have been more than 2 sports anyway between the fall and spring seasons).
This is a fun thread. I LOL’d cause I always get on my kids for walking/running on concrete with their boots cause it wears out the molded plastic (good cleats cost an arm and a leg now).
We were soccer players in my family so likely my first cleats were Mitre- as was most gear you could get in the US in the late 70s/early 80s.
We were soccer players in my family so likely my first cleats were Mitre- as was most gear you could get in the US in the late 70s/early 80s.
If I may make a suggestion... try prepping the kids to think of the concept of joy before mentioning what brought you joy. If you ask them what brings them joy.. and get no responses.. that would be sad.. it is hard to get them to open up, of course.. maybe you'll need a modern example.. like the day the new Madden game comes out.. when they got some desired status symbol.. new air jordans.. whatever.. last day of school.. first day of practice.. then you can get into your joyful memories and they might get the message how things are different.. yet the same.
I dont remember my first pair of cleets, but i do remember my first pair with replaceable cleets. They were white Puma's those were the s*** back in 1982.
It was my freshman year and I never owned spikes before. I wasn't going to play baseball but then decided to. One of my friends ' older brother had quit the sport so he let me have his. I think I wore them for 3 years until senior year when we all bought white spikes since we had new green and gold unis. This was the early 70's right in the middle of the A's big run. We wanted to get gold sanitary s too but we never did.
They were Spotbilts and I probably had them for at least 5 more years.
They were Spotbilts and I probably had them for at least 5 more years.
Looks like someone is making assumptions... be careful going out on that branch.. lets just say I know enough to say what I said
It is pretty odd that your reaction to what was probably simply a kid wanting a new glove and stealing it because he didn't have the money is that he or his dad must be a Teamster. I can't imagine there are many people that would immediately jump to that conclusion. Sounds like you just have an axe to grind.
