Chucks - Uses from A to Z

While originally a basketball shoe, Chucks have had many uses. Some of them are:

AIRSOFT (wargaming): One of my many readers wrote in, recommending black monochrome Chucks as the best shoe for airsoft.
BAREFOOTING: One of my readers commented that wearing Chucks help in the transition from normal water skiing to barefoot skiing.
BOXING: Cadets at the Air Force Academy engaged in boxing competition wearing black high-tops.
CHEERLEADING: I've been told by somebody who tried and failed: "Chucks are absolutely no good for cheerleading... they don't have finger notches like cheer shoes."
CORRECTIONAL SCIENCES : One reader commented that the coach gave him three licks with the sole of a red low-top for goofing off in gym class. This is an example of a practice called "slippering."
CROWD SURFING: One reader commented that high-top Chucks are great for crowd-surfing... they don't come off as easily as some sneakers!
DANCE CLASS: I've had reports of Chucks being used for hip-hop, and I've had reports of Chucks being used for jazz dance.
DISCUS THROWING: My older brother had a friend who threw the discus quite well; he competed in a pair of black high-tops.
DIVING: I got an E-mail from a Navy diver who told me they wear black monochrome high-tops... he said: "It's tactical, light and dries fast." However... Chucks didn't dry fast enough for river rafting enthusiast Mark Thatcher.
FELONY FOOTWEAR: The court record of a murder case in Texas reported that a killer of two was upset because his Chucks were messed up. "I messed my Chucks up. I got blood all over my Chucks." He had an even worse day than that... he got a lethal injection in November 1999!
FENCING: One of my readers reported that he wore Chucks as fencing shoes: "They're light, and therefore fast, have a good grip on the fencing piste, and are close to the foot, as not to make more target area."
FOOTBAG: While a lot of footbag players prefer the adidas Rod Laver, there are some that have written me insisting that high-top Chucks are even better!
FOOTBALL: When I was in college, I remember watching Missouri play Alabama when I was in college. The Alabama quarterback wore black high-tops on artificial turf; in fact, the TV camera focused in on them while the announcers commented at length. Missouri fans got an extra thrill when the Missouri defense sacked the Alabama quarterback... his Chucks were not only upside-down but plainly visible above the fray. There was also a cleated Chuck Taylor Football Shoe in the 1960's.
GOLF: One reader commented that she wore pink high-tops to play golf on her high-school team.. and she became varsity captain this way!
HORSEBACK RIDING: One writer mentioned wearing pink high-tops and another mentioned wearing orange high-tops for horse riding.
MARKETING DRUGS OF ABUSE: According to the Police Department in the city of Pasadena (suburban Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA), the presence of a pair of high-tops hanging from a utility line indicates that drug dealers are active in the area.
MARCHING BANDS:
- Kentucky: The Ohio County High School Marching Band in Beaver Dam recently marched with black high-tops on the drum line.
- Texas: The 2003 McKinney High School Marching Band (Texas, USA) marches out on the field with black high-tops as part of their uniform. To quote: "They are sure stylin' and getting a second (or third) glance wherever they play."
POLE VAULTING: When I was in high school, one of our athletes did indoor pole vaulting in a pair of white low-tops.
POWER LIFTING: Jason sent me a picture from his AAU weightlifting competition where he wore black high-tops. He said they were better than what he had been wearing; a high-priced, specifically designed weightlifting shoe whose brand he did not mention. He turned in a second-place performance in his weight group.
RIVER RAFTING: His dislike of having to wear soggy Chucks while river rafting led Mark Thatcher to invent the Teva sport sandal.
ROCK CLIMBING: One of my many readers, Jonathan, reported that he wore Chucks when rock climbing.
SAILING: One of my many readers, Chris, told me that he has found that "Chucks were the best for sailing shoes. They had the best grip on wet canvas or wet Fiberglas."
SCHOOL, AROUND THE WORLD: One would expect Chucks to be worn to school in the United States. However, one of my readers wrote to state they were quite popular in Malaysia (where their dress code calls for student to wear white, Chuck-like shoes).
SKATEBOARDING: The biography of Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson, "Turning Hearts Towards Home," includes a picture of his son Ryan Dobson stunting on his skateboard. Ryan was (literally) heels over head in a pair of black high-tops.
SKYDIVING: One writer tells me he has a friend who skydives in "Joker" Chucks.
SOCCER TRAINING: One of my readers wrote me about one of his friends who wore black high-tops to get in condition for the soccer season. He did mention that his friend might have been better off with a pair of cleats.
SPACE EXPLORATION: Look very carefully at the sneakers on the crew of Apollo 13!
SWIMMING: As far as we know, they didn't wear them into the pool (unless they happened to fall in). However, during the 1996 Summer Olympics, one of the American swimmers was seen poolside in a pair of Stars and Bars.
TRACK PRACTICE: I had a high school friend (Stephen) who ran track practice for high hurdles in a pair of white high-tops. It should be noted that Converse also produced a canvas track training flat with the "Chuck Taylor" name and signature. These were popular along with adidas. Both brands, surprisingly enough, shared a triple stripe motif. The trefoil adidas logo deterred the advantages of stripe copying; soon after it was adopted, the triple stripe Converse seemed to go away.
TUBING: One reader told me he wore Chucks when he goes out tubing (riding on a river on an inner tube).
VOLLEYBALL: One reader told me that (very recently) she wore black high-tops playing competitive volleyball in high school.
WRESTLING: More than a few high school wrestlers wore high-top Chucks on the mat before wrestling shoes became as developed as they are now. I'm certain some also wore the "Chuck Taylor" Wrestling Shoe.
ZEPPELIN PILOT: Nobody's reported using them for this.... but it's probably been done. After all, I needed a "Z" to make it complete.

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Last Updated: 29 March 2008 21:59

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