Charlie's Sneaker FAQ and Glossary - I

This FAQ and Glossary defines a number of terms used in regards to athletic shoes, Charlie, or sneakers.

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"If you have a body, you are an athlete.": The definition of Nike as to what is an athlete; part of their mission statement. Said by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. Charlie, therefore, is an athlete. Even though when he tried to learn to play basketball he was utterly incapable of dribbling the ball and moving at the same time. Fortunately, that is not a skill you have to have to be a software weenie. Charlie would be closest to being the next Mark Spitz except for the fact they don't make a Speedo big enough.

Incubus: In medieval mythology, an evil spirit that violates women while they sleep. Unfortunately, Reebok used this name for a running shoe in 1997. Later, they recalled them. The name "Incubus" was only on the box, so they were able to re-issue the shoe with another name. I (Charlie) never heard what the other name was.

IMPAX: An athletic shoe cushioning technology introduced by Nike. They look like Nike took the plastic "dough" left over from punching out Shox columns and turned it on its side.

Inert gas: At least four manufacturers use an inert gas of some type in their cushioning systems:

And 1 uses an unidentified (probably inert) gas in their Harmonix cushioning system.
Converse introduced their first style with helium cushioning in November 1999.
Nike AIR is also a (more or less) inert gas; one source (and US Patent 4340626) indicates that it is the "greenhouse gas" sulfur hexafluoride. However, Nike has since been issued US Patent 5042176, which describes system enhancements that allow the use of nitrogen.
Ryka has, in the past, introduced athletic shoes with nitrogen cushioning.

Insole: The portion of the shoe sole upon which the foot or sock rests while in use. Also known as the sockliner. See the color-coded sneaker for an illustration.

International Manufacturing: GENERAL RULE: To exclude a certain undesired country from your sneaker purchases, one will need to search on a "box by box" basis. The major manufacturers all source from a number of countries. There are some rules from the United States Federal Trade Commission that define terms used to describe products partly or totally made in the United States:

A product with 70% or more domestic content qualifies for a "Made in the United States" designation.
A product with less than 70% domestic content, but some United States assembly, may legally be labeled "Made in the United States from domestic and imported materials."

Given the above descriptive terms, the following applies:

Converse:
- The canvas "Chuck Taylor" All Star and Jack Purcell models were made in the United States through March 2001.
- Only Vintage One Star models were made in the United States.
New Balance is a proverbial can of worms:
- Some of their models (example: the 999) qualify as made in the United States.
- Other of their models (example: the 712) qualify as "made in the United States from domestic and imported materials."
- Still other of their models (example: the 620) are imported.
Nike, though associated with foreign production, comes in for some remarks here. The Nike Air components are made in Missouri at Nike IHM; Nike keeps the production in-house.
Sometimes, production of a familiar shoe transitions from one country to another. I (Charlie) have even seen a manufacturer make different sizes of one style in three different nations. WATCH THOSE BOXES!

Certain athletic shoe manufacturers (including ASICS and Nike) have recently taken to a bizarre labeling practice. They label the country of origin for the cardboard box (the United States) and separately label the origin of the shoes inside!

International Size Cross-Reference: Look here for the international size cross-reference tables for infants, children, women, and men.

Internet: An advanced technology that allows one to visit the Web sites of athletic shoe companies and generally waste time even more effectively than television. Most access to the Internet goes through a modem of one type or another. Look here for Web browser information.

iPad: A virtual fidget spinner for software weenies that Apple sells for $779.00 (manufacturers' suggested retail price). Like many fidget spinners, an iPad will keep software weenies occupied and happy until the battery runs down. Unlike most fidget spinners, you can access the Internet from anywhere you can get a cellular data signal (if you buy the model that Charlie has). If you want to use an iPad as a real fidget spinner, there's an app for that!

iPhone: A marvelous device that fits in your pocket. But it will be out of your pocket most of the time because it has at least 1001 uses. It can even be used to place and receive telephone calls! Apple sells the base model for $399.00 (manufacturers' suggested retail price). If you want to use it as a fidget spinner, there's an app for that!

IV: A medical procedure used to treat the sickest and the healthiest. As to the healthiest: Even the healthiest runners can end out getting an IV if they try to run until they drop! Sometimes called a "drip" but that's not necessarily the case if they're treating a severely dehydrated individual. (Been there, done that.) Blood tests and blood product donation are IVs going the other way (or, in the case of automated procedures like plateletpheresis, both ways). A PICC is how they do an IV when you are seriously ill, otherwise they just stick a needle in your arm or the back of your hand. I usually talk a phlebotomist through starting an IV; most people that are human pincushions do. I told a grandmotherly one "Both sides work. The veins on the left side are closer to the surface but they have more scar tissue." The phlebotomist, after feeling around, told me "Honey... you've got plenty of scar tissue on both sides!"

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Last Updated: 13 October 2018

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READERS PLEASE NOTE: Names of athletic shoe manufacturers, shoe styles, and technologies may be trademarked by the manufacturers. Charlie's Sneaker Pages uses these names solely to describe the shoes with the same familiar nomenclature used by the manufacturer and recognized by the reader.