This FAQ and Glossary defines a number of terms used in regards to athletic shoes, Charlie, or sneakers.
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A brand of sneakers that are now mainly of historic interest. At one time, made by B. F. Goodrich. Advertised as making their wearer
"Run Faster... Jump Higher." Their sneaker division later on merged with Converse. Mainly of interest to those watching
the movie "The Sandlot." The "PF Flyers" name has been around a few times since the Baby Boomers were kids.
One of the many colors of Chucks... but one of the
ones that gets attention. When Converse didn't have these available, desperate readers resorted to using pink liquid embroidery ink on white Chucks to obtain the
desired color.
A procedure in transfusion medicine, where a donor donates platelets and has the rest of their blood returned to their circulation. I (Charlie) did it frequently between May 2014 and June 2020. Unfortunately, I have developed congestive heart failure and can no longer donate. For platelet donors,
there are restrictions on the number of times you can give in the past 365 days (a total of 24 times, but no more frequently than every seven days), the number of red blood cells you can lose in
the past 365 days, and the amount of plasma you can lose in the past 365 days. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, the main blood bank here
in the Houston area, prefers that platelet donors come in "peanut buttered" over the entire year. Plateletpheresis is similar to whole blood donation except it typically takes close to two hours,
with typically sixty to a hundred minutes on the machine. Unlike whole blood donation, where you get to squeeze all the time, you alternate squeezing when the machine is taking blood and relaxing
when the machine is returning blood. I usually watched the early evening news on ABC 13 in Houston and tap on my Apple iPad with my free arm. I even take selfies of my donor arm! The advantages to plateletpheresis are that you can safely give a lot more
platelets than whole blood, and the recipients are exposed to blood products from a lot fewer donors.
An athletic
shoe brand that was popular in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The rights to the Pony brand went through several changes over the years.
A frequently heard nickname for the Trefoil logo used by adidas on their Originals products, including the Shell Toes styles. The
adidas marketing department probably wishes Baby Boomers would stop thinking this, particularly when their teenagers want new
sneakers.
A lightweight running shoe from Nike, part of the Alpha Project. Nike says it is "like a
T-shirt for the feet." Yes, they are extremely comfortable. However, I (Charlie) think an athletic shoe should be more like
a jock for the feet... even a pair of Air Deschütz sport sandals seem more stable. I found that
they weren't durable.
A canvas basketball sneaker (for men) manufactured by the Keds Corporation. They are roughly comparable to Chucks, but there are a number
of detail styling differences. From what Baby Boomers have told me about their teenage years in the United States, there were differing regional preferences for either Chucks or PRO-Keds. I (Charlie) only occasionally saw them as our
old school basketball team was always in Chucks except for one year in adidas Superstar shoes; only
once did I specifically notice an opposing player wearing PRO-Keds.
The high-top model of the classic adidas "Shell Toes" sneakers.
(Compare to "Superstar.")
A
brand of sneakers. Their name and logo come from the cat of the same name. The stripe down the side is known as a formstrip. Extremely popular with Baby Boomers but not one of the first-line brands now, at least not in the United States. Interestingly enough, Puma was started by Rudolf Dassler, whose brother Adi founded
adidas.
A
retro style from Puma named for the state of California. Given the proverbial laid-back nature of California,
however, shouldn't it be a sport sandal?
Canadian badminton (Jack also played tennis) player of the 1930's. His
namesake sneakers are sometimes referred to as "Blue Tips" or "Jacks." Anyway, they're now a fun retro style marketed by Converse.
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Last Updated: 4 January 2021
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Charlie's Sneaker Pages copyright 1995-2024 by Charles L. Perrin.
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.