Sorry I'm just now jumping on here to reply. Many of you know that I work for Nfinity. You know where my loyalties lie and I do not try to hide it. I will try and address all of the main questions that you have discussed on the thread and if you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to ask.
What cheer shoes can I buy that will last all season?
The answer to this question is, it depends. There are numerous people who have had Evolutions last for 2 or more years and many people that have had their Vengeance last an entire season. I believe one of them posted on this thread. Just because you buy a style or brand of shoe does not mean that it will last an entire year. Every cheerleader is different. Every person tumbles, runs, jumps and even dances differently and all of these factors both together and individually will effect the life of any shoe. You need to stick with a shoe that is comfortable to your foot and that enhances your abilities as a cheerleader, not choose a shoe because you want it to endure a season. We could make shoes that will last for 20 years but they will be cumbersome, unattractive and would negatively affect your cheerleaders performance. We make shoes for every type of athlete that have been proven to perform across every level in cheerleading. I will never "sell" you an Nfinity shoe, but I will allow you to choose the best product for your athlete.
Why do my shoes not last a whole season?
If this is your question there are many other things you need to consider. Your running shoes should be replaced between 2-4 times a year depending on your body type, your style of running and the surface that you wear your shoes on. Why should your cheer shoes be any different? Your body type, tumbling and jumping style all effect the wear on a shoe and every person's body type is unique. When I see cheerleaders wearing their shoes outside, around the convention center, to the mall or in the parking lot it drives me crazy. Do you wear your football cleats to the grocery store, or your ballet shoes to the gas station? Of course not! So why would you wear your cheer shoes everywhere and expect them to perform the same and last longer than any other high performance shoe?
People often look over the fact that the cheer "season" has gotten longer every year. As soon as Worlds is over, and in some cases even before, gyms have already conducted their tryouts for the next year. Unlike any other sport there is no true offseason in cheerleading. HS football, baseball and basketball last between 3-4 months and 9 times out of 10 those athletes replace their shoes each time a new season comes around. Even basketball players that play school and AAU ball replace their shoes 2-3 times per year.
Should I buy a high top shoe to stop ankle injuries?
You can try, and in some cases (tiny children) it may help, but 95% of the time it's not the little ones that are rolling their ankles. Velcro and a thin piece of material will not stop you from rolling your ankle. When you are running, flipping and twisting you have two things working against you, gravity and physics. When you go up high and come down wrong they will both work against you and no shoe will prevent that. There is no replacement for a good tape job and ankle braces.
Are there other options out there besides Nfinity shoes?
Absolutely! There are tons of brands that make cheer shoes. Every shoe is different. That is why we make 3 styles of shoes. We try to accommodate every style and type of cheerleader without causing confusion. Never buy a shoe on a gimmick! We didn't create the Vengeance because we needed to have the lightest shoe on the market. We created it because people love to tumble and cheer barefoot or in socks because it is more comfortable and natural to them and the Vengeance is as close as you can get. It just so happened to be the lightest shoe. Will it make you jump higher? Maybe a little, not enough to notice. Will it reduce fatigue? A little because it is so light, but not considerably. We create shoes to perform at the highest level for all athletes. Nfinity hasn't been around the longest, not by a long shot, but there is a reason that every team that won Worlds last year was wearing Nfinity shoes and more teams have won Worlds in Nfinity shoes than all other brands of shoes combined. They could choose to wear another brand of shoe, but they choose Nfinity. These gyms and parents trust our shoes for their children and athletes and we do our best to deliver.
Why would you tell me to buy my shoes from someone else?
Tricky question, LOL! I have told people a few times this season to buy their shoes from our distributors because I knew that they would get their shoes from them faster and at the same price. We have had inventory issues this season and we always try to point our customers in the right direction to get their shoes as fast as possible. When Varsity stopped carrying our shoes we lost our largest customer virtually overnight. We worked all summer to bridge that gap and never in our wildest imagination did we expect that we would in fact sell more shoes without them than we did with them. Our customers searched for and found us in order to purchase the shoes that they wanted. When we switched factories they were ready to send shoes right away, but they had trouble with the quality of the shoe. Rather than send them out, we fixed the issue and that pushed us back a little as well. So when we didn't have shoes and our distributors did I pushed all of our customers to order where they could get their shoes fast and with exceptional customer service.
I hope I have answered all of your questions. I would go back and look, but I left my computer at the office and am writing from my cell phone. I couldn't imagine going back to look and losing this reply!! LOL. If there are other questions or anything at all that any of you need I would be happy to help any of you. I've done this once before and been called crazy a few times, but here is my information:
Ryan Sundquist
864-567-1024
[email protected]
(That's my cell phone and I am on the east coast. I stay up late, but please be nice. ;) )
