The Next Generation: “They Made Me Run Faster”

Words_Jeremy Ripley

My half-brother Mitch sporting an AND1 t-shirt, holding up his new purchase.

If you happened to catch our Summer Road Trip Round-Up in issue 24, you were a witness to how our team of three travelers was exposed to sneakerheads from every walk of life. It seems that shoe fiends can be wound from any fabric these days, and with multimedia sources like Sole Collector.com, ISS Forums, and eBay, a fanatic living on a dude ranch in Wyoming has the same ability to grab new releases than a cat bunkered in the heart of NYC.

Along with location, each sneaker collector has a specific reason or source of inspiration for getting “started in the game” ( A term I usually disregard, but it’ll have to suffice for now.) For many, it was the arresting fluidity of Michael Jordan’s game and his line of inventive kicks that went with it. (It’s safe to say that no one was enamored by Will Perdue’s slow, calculated game and standard Nike fare.) For others, it’s an association to simpler times, childhood memories, or a love of technology. At just 3 1/2 years old, my half brother Mitchell has already begun his quest to accrue a killer quiver, carefully analyzing my new kicks after they hit the doorstep. His excitement over the white/ varsity red Jordan XX3 and patent navy/gold adidas TS Litespeed almost matched mine. But what’s most impressive about Lil’ Mitch isn’t his jovial attitude towards my oft-trivial pick-ups. The toddler only wears one pair per time–that’s right–he runs, walks, hoops, and plays in the sandbox in the same pair!

Recently my Momdukes and Mitch hit up the local shoe spot. The end result was a buttery pair of adidas Allegra running shoes. I recently caught up with my brother via phone, trying to get the scoop on his new pair. Here’s the score of our conversation:

Jeremy: Mitch! I hear you got a new pair of shoes?!

Mitch: They are candy apple green.

Jeremy: What? (I know, I know–not paying attention to the interviewee–not good protocol!)

Mitch: Candy apple green. Jeremy, are you at Rod’s (My dad’s name.) house or in Milwaukee?

Jeremy: Milwaukee. Momdukes said you were running around and playing basketball in them earlier today?

Mitch: They made me run faster.

And there you have it! A brief, hardly informative, yet delightful interview! I’m worried however; has Mitch already succumbed to psychographic marketing?

To Be Continued…