Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508230005
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: WS-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: HAL SHEIKERZ STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
You're wrong if you think the only things these people have in common are fame and fortune.
These celebrities sang about shoes.
The King's were Blue Suede, Nancy's were made for walking, and Frank's were any color but brown.
Their shoes were in a class of their own. They had style and pizazz, but most of all, they had purpose.
In college, to every shoe, there is a purpose, and there are general rules you must follow when sticking them on your feet. Below are the foot notes.
Read up.
School Shoes: The most essential in your college wardrobe. These are the shoes you wear to class. They must be comfortable, durable and versatile. They should go with any outfit you wear. College is not a fashion walkway like high school. You wake up, grab your cleanest clothes, and go to class. There's no time to mix and match. (That's how you can tell a freshman from a senior - the freshman matches too well.)
Stacey Waite, a senior in clothing and textiles, sees a variety of shoes on the feet of her classmates. But some are definitely more popular than others. "Some people think they have to have Birkenstocks," Waite says.
Birkenstocks, or imitations of the suede-strapped unisex sandals, are comfortable to wear to class and elsewhere.
Brett Hardeman, a senior, says he gets a new pair of Birkenstocks every year.
"Pretty much, I wear them all year-round," he said. Of course, when the weather gets cooler, he wears them with socks.
Rain Boots: There's a reason Blacksburg's nicknamed Bleaksburg. It rains. And rains and rains. There will be times - like 40 days and 40 nights - when you can't wear anything but rain boots.
When it comes to boots, you can't be cheap. You need a pair that can get you across Tech's Drillfield or to meet your friends at Radford's fountain - without your feet feeling soggy. Skip the stylish-looking boots that are good only for display. On the outside, people who wear those look nice and cool. On the inside, after several hours of walking on wet ground, their toes have that prune-like feeling. And their feet smell - like the mildew in showers at Pritchard Hall.
River Shoes: Whether you stay in the area during the summer or not, you will go to the New River at least once.
Therefore, you need River Shoes. For most people, these shoes are never worn anywhere else.
River shoes need to be sturdy; you don't want to slip when climbing the rocks near the rapids. The more your feet are covered, the less chance you'll cut them on rocks and glass.
Matthew Vukmer, a senior in business, goes fishing, tubing or canoeing at the River about three times a week during the summer. He says old tennis shoes and sandals are your best bet when it comes to shoes for the water.
"They can't be too dressy; they've got to be ratty," he says.
Sport Shoes: Even if you're not into sports or exercising, it's a good idea to have a pair of sport shoes. These can be hiking boots, sport sandals or the traditional tennis shoes.
Physical education may not be mandatory in college, but keeping in shape is a good idea. Both Radford and Virginia Tech have well-equipped gyms with a variety of classes and activities, including aerobics, weight rooms and basketball and racquetball courts. Both schools also offer a variety of intramural sports.
The right type of shoe, however, can cost you. A 1994 statistic from the National Sporting Goods Association, in Mount Prospect, Ill., reported that the average price of a tennis shoe is $29.63; $24.52 for sport sandals; $44.06 for hiking boots; and $39.21 for walking shoes.
Ben Roy, a junior in liberal arts and sciences, owns five pairs of tennis shoes. Some are specifically for playing basketball, others are for every day.
Suzie Schneider, a senior in physical education, owns 12 pairs of shoes, including three pairs of tennis shoes and two pairs of sport sandals, which she describes as being the "most comfortable things you can wear, and it doesn't matter what they look like.
"I don't wear shoes to match my outfit. I wear them because they're comfortable."
Party Shoes: Some people say party shoes - or beer shoes - are the most important shoes you will need at college.
Face it, you're here to get an education - some academic, some social. For the social part, you'll need something to get around messy apartments and sweaty bars.
These shoes must be comfortable (ask yourself: "Do I want to wear these for 15 hours and walk home in broad daylight with them on?''). And you should be prepared to get them dirty.
Susan Kelly, a fourth-year junior, chooses her party shoes based on what she's wearing. But then again, Kelly has about 83 pairs of shoes piled in her closet. In contrast, Hardeman, who's Kelly's roommate, has only two pairs of shoes: his Birkenstocks and a pair of hiking boots.
There are a few other shoes that you need at college, though these are less essential.
Slippers: The bigger, the fuzzier and more colorful they are, the better for lounging around the dorm or at home. Think of the ones you used to wear when you were a little kid.
Interview shoes: If you're at New River Community and you're headed for the work force, you'll need these right away. If you're at Tech or Radford, you can wait until your junior or senior year to invest in a pair (unless you're an over-achiever and want to get that perfect job or internship your first summer out as a college student).
Shower shoes: There can be a health risk when you use the shower in a gym or dorm after oodles of other people. "Athlete's foot is not fun to have," said Gwen Martens, director of nurses at University Health Services at Virginia Tech. She added that you can get a secondary infection from athlete's foot. Rubber flip-flops may be your best prevention.
Shoes come in all sizes, shapes, colors and texture, from plaid sneakers to patent leather heels, plastic jelly shoes to leather moccasins.
Whatever path you take, go in with your feet first.
And when things get too hard and you start stressing out over all these new college rules, just remember, all Dorothy had to do was click her ruby slippers together three times. Then, she was home.
by CNB