Personal Soccer Cleat Collection

                                                               Adidas       Nike

           In my past blog posts, like, “Nike, Adidas, or Puma: Which Cleats Reigned Supreme at the 2014 FIFA World Cup?” where I have debated newly released soccer cleats, you have probably caught on that I am an Adidas girl when it comes to soccer. The cleats pictured above are ones that I have worn in the past 5 years and as you can tell, I have experimented with traditional Nike soccer cleats once (the lime green ones on the bottom right are indoor shoes). I love the way that Nike soccer cleats look buy my dilemma with them has been that that are more narrow when compared to Adidas, and I find them uncomfortable to play in.  I think another reason for my alliance to Adidas soccer began when I first started playing. My dad was the first coach I had (he used to play in high school) and he has always been a big fan of the classic all black Adidas cleats with the three white strips down the sides and my first pair of cleats looked exactly like that. As you can tell I haven’t followed exactly in his footsteps with my taste in cleats, as I have more graphic and colorful cleats, but just like him, Adidas will always be my number one choice when it comes to soccer.

Embroidery Applications

              It’s the start of a new AAU basketball season and my club just got our new jerseys in for the season. They are the Marquette style with tackle-twill lettering. Last year we have simple jerseys that had our team name and number screen-printed on. I feel in the end, the decision on which application to use, either tackle twill or screen printing, comes down ultimately to the consumer and finding exactly what fits their needs best.

Screen-printed provides more
design options

             Most of my uniforms in the past few years, both soccer and basketball, have used the screen printing application. Obviously the first thing that stands out about screen-printing is that it is usually cheaper that its counterparts. Also another thing I like about screen-printing is that it is done by computers, so there are infinitely more options on color, font, and size, than there would be with tackle twill which is sewn on.  But, I did encounter a dilemma with the screen-printing on my basketball jersey last year. For our team name, we had the first word in a bright red color and then the second word was in white. After washing my jersey a few times, I found that the red coloring began to bleed onto the white letters and they turned a light pink color. It may have been an error is design by have bright red letters next to white letters, but I think that that shouldn’t be an issue, I think the issue is with the screen-printing application and now it makes sense as to why it is cheaper than alternative options.

Classic block lettering of
the tackle-twill application

           The tackle-twill on our new uniforms looks amazing. Going back to one of my earlier posts, Sweatshirts are Life, I make sure that all my college sweatshirts are printed using the tackle-twill application because I think it looks more official and traditional like an old, classic university feels when you walk on campus. The tackle-twill application is more expensive, but in the end I definitely think it is worth it. If you are looking for a style that looks very professional, I would highly suggest tackle-twill. Also a plus with tackle-twill is that you will probably rarely run into issues with the colors bleeding or the lettering coming undone. The only downside I see to tackle-twill is that options can be limited. With tackle-twill the lettering is usually the big block letters and the colors tend to be the basics, you don’t see many neon options.

             Personally, I am big fan of tackle-twill but I feel that there are times when screen-printing has its benefits. If it’s just a warmup shirt I would definitely go with the screen-printing because there more design options, but when I’m looking at uniforms I would 99% of the time go with tackle-twill. In the end it all comes down to what you want and your budget. Either way I don’t think you will be disappointed, but my only note is that if you do go with screen-printing double check with the retailer to make sure that what happened with my jersey doesn’t happen to you.

Images courtesy of:

www.shopstyle.com

www.polyvore.com



 

Iconic Clothing in Sports

               Just think of some of the biggest sports events and teams in the world. There are a few that stand out to you whether it may be because they are your favorite team or sport to watch, but for me there are a few that stand out to me because of how clothing is incorporated into them. So, what do the Masters, Wimbledon, and Brazil and Argentina soccer all have in common that I find fascinating? They all have make an iconic statement through their clothes.
               I think the thing with the iconic clothing of those events and teams, is that they all have to do with tradition and a sense of class. When I think of the pure white of Wimbledon, I think pure class. Even though over the years the envelope of the Wimbledon dress code has been pushed by tennis greats like the Williams sisters, it is a dress code that is always respected. I think that respect doesn’t only just show respect for the individual event by it shows respect for the sport of tennis. Wimbledon is a tournament that prides itself on its class and high profile patrons, and there is no other way to celebrate that than by keeping with the tradition that got it to its grandeur today.

Green Jacket of Masters

              The infamous Green Jacket of the Masters is what defines that tournament. When you hear young golfers talk about their future goals in the sport, they never fail to mention how they would love to wear a Green Jacket. They don’t even have to say the Masters Tournament at Augusta National to inform their audience what they are talking about; people, golf fans or not, know what they mean. Also you know that the Green Jacket is of great importance just by the fact that it is capitalized as a proper noun. It isn’t just any old green jacket that you could go pick up at the local Men’s Warehouse, it is THE Green Jacket and it is invaluable.
             In soccer when you talk about the powerhouse countries who always have a chance to win the World Cup some names that are always thrown into the conversation include the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. They all have rich histories in the sport that are combined with grand traditions.  Brazil is one country that stands out from the crown in their iconic yellow tops paired with blue shorts. It’s a jersey combination that will never come to an end. Brazil’s jersey combination of bright, vibrant colors is one that follows along the lines of their fast-paced playing style that leaves the crowd in awe whether you are a fan or not. Another soccer powerhouse that celebrates their great history is Argentina with their light blue and white striped tops. Year in and year out, you see countries like the US and Mexico come out with all the stops designing new uniforms, but Argentina’s classic stripped tops will never change on the international stage.

Argentina Jersey

Brazil Jersey

           The iconic clothing seen in the sports world is one that was based of tradition. I feel like these events and teams grew to what they are today by sticking with what they started with a building up around them. Brazil and Argentina are memorable because they have stuck with same classic uniforms year after year, they don’t look to follow what the trend of the time is, they stick with what got them to the international stage. The events such as the Masters and Wimbledon have built themselves to what they are today by standing out from the rest. The Green Jacket. The all white dress code. Even though it may seem different and out of date in today’s society, it is what makes these events seem more prominent than the rest.

Images Courtesy of:

www.masters.com

www.usatoday.com

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

 



Dilemma with White Basketball Shoes

            White. It’s sleek, simple, and flashy. But it is also a color that it hard to keep up. As seen in this first picture my new white basketball shoes were every adjective I previously described.

But, as the season wore on, the wear and tear became more evident as the pure white has transformed into an off-white tan color, as seen in the next two pictures of my shoes following the end of the season. This color change can be attributed to sweating throughout 20+ games.

 

But since we live in the 21^st century, the upside is that it is an easy fix to get my shoes back to their original bright white color, by just throwing them in the washer. White shoes look sweet, and they are my go to color for basketball shoes, they just require more up keep then say black ones as white tends to show every little mark.

Uniform Rules... Are the really worth it?

            Rules, rules, oh and more rules. They never fail to make everything more complicated than it needs to be and some are necessary, but some of the rules that have come out lately for our state high school soccer association seem almost pointless. Let’s go over a few of them that I would like to explain further, homes uniforms must be entirely white, undergarments, like compression shorts and long sleeve thermals must match uniform color, and the big one: tape must be the same color as your socks.
            My only complaint on the first rule with home uniforms having to be entirely white would about the shorts.  As a player the main thing I look and when I’m looking for a teammate to pass to is a glimpse of a white top. At that moment in time, I only have a few seconds to scan the field to find that flash of white of my teammate to pass to, I don’t sit there and analyze forever about, ‘oh can I see my teammates entire body with her white top, shorts and socks?’ because it’s probably highly unlikely that she’s even that wide open. Also other reason I question that the shorts have to be the same color is the cost perspective. Why not save $20 per person- which adds up quickly when you have to account for an entire team- and just buy one pair of shorts that can go with both your home white tops and away dark tops. I think that would be especially beneficial for small town schools because they don’t have as big of a budget to buy what I see as unnecessary uniform pieces.
          The next rule that I find challenging to follow is that the undergarments must match your uniform, except if you are wearing your away uniform, white or black works as well. My bigger issue with this is more about the compression shorts rather than the thermal long sleeved tops because you only wear them maybe 1 or 2 games out of the entire season, so not many issues come up with them. So, for my high school team, we chose to have white as our undergarment color and right now I only have one pair of white compression shorts, the rest I have are either black or grey. I personally just don’t think that the color of your compression shorts really make a difference in the game; yes they may stick out a little under your shorts but it not like they are your shorts. I see compression shorts to be like long underwear, so it seems like the rule is saying you have to match you underwear.

Some rules help refs make more accurate calls.

            Finally comes the rule that all the girls on my team can’t stand: you must match your tape to the color of your game socks. When most girls tape their socks, they wrap below and above their shin guards just to hold them in place. They keep it simple and sweet, nothing too extensive. The reason for the rule is to make it easier to see who kicked the ball out last, and if you have a girl with her socks taped with a color that matches the other team it may get confusing, so I understand the reason for the rule. But where the issue comes, is having to find the color of tape that matches your socks perfectly. Our away socks are a dark hunter green color, but most of the green tape that we can find is either lime green or a lighter Kelly green, so it stands out too much. So I think that it would be easier if the rule said you had to wear dark tape, like black which is more common, on your away socks and then obviously white for your home socks. Some refs end up being very strict about this rule and in the end I feel like it is a hassle for everybody.

           Rules are made for a purpose, some more necessary than other. But, in the end rules are rules and they have to be followed no matter how pointless they may seem to you as a player, because they could have some hidden meaning that is more useful when having to ref a game.   

 

Images Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

 

Team Unity through Matching Gear

             Have you ever walked into a tournament, and seen that one team were everybody is perfectly matching? I’m not just talking about wearing the same uniforms, but they all have the same headbands, every player is wearing the knee pad leggings, and they all are wearing matching socks and shoes. Yes, I am talking about that type of unity. Well when you do spot that team, which I have played against many times, what begins to run through your mind? I know for me it’s something like “Oh my god, we are about to get blown outta the gym!” And, yes even though that could easily be true, as the saying goes, looks aren’t everything.
             Flashback three years ago when my AAU basketball team was invited to play in a premier league outside of Chicago. We knew that every game we would be playing elite competition, but that didn’t stop us from judging how good we thought the other team was before we played. I remember that one of the teams we played, showed up 10 minutes before the game started, with mismatch jerseys, and their shoes untied. Sounds like they are a disaster waiting to happen, and that’s exactly what we thought, but boy were we wrong as we ended up getting beat.


Oregon never fails to have everything matching all the way
down to the same socks.

            Anyways, the idea that if you look professional and have that attitude about you, whether it is sports or the workforce, you will have an edge on your competitors which can have its pros and cons. Some pros I see is that yes you look more professional so you will give off that sense that you are more put together and have everything organized and prepared. But a downside to looking more professional than the rest, is that when your competitor sees you, they will realize that they need to step their game up, so you might end up playing a tougher game than expected. Also another downside I see to having team unity with everybody wearing matching clothes, is the cost. Some AAU clubs may put only the cost of just the jerseys and shorts into the fee that players have to pay to play and once you begin adding more miscellaneous items that are “required” like shoes and knee pads, it can begin to turn prospective players away because the cost gets too high. I think the best way to approach a situation like that is for the players to decide before the season begins to come together and decide as a group if they want to all buy the same shoes. Sometimes it can be hard to get every little detail all the way down to headbands to be all matching on a team, but I will say from personal experience, you look pretty sweet when you walk into the gym together.
           Team unity through clothing can bring the players together as they all feel like one and don’t feel like one player is any better or worse because they don’t have the “right” brand of shoes. But also on the flipside it can be expensive for different families of different backgrounds to pay the cost that is needed for that to happen. In the end having team unity with matching gear does look really nice, but it doesn’t determine how good the team is, they have to go out and prove it on the court.

Images courtesy of http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2014/03/14530246-standard.jpg

What are the point of Warmups?

             Warm ups. They may not be the most noticeable part of an athlete’s array of game day clothing, but they could easily be the most crucial. Most seem to think warm ups are just an extra uniform piece added in to make the team look unified as one as they prepare for a game, but what if I were to tell you that a warm up plays an important role in an athlete’s performance in the game?             Flashback a few years on a beautiful 60⁰ fall weekend for a soccer tournament. As my team began the stretching part of our warmups most of the girls on the team began shedding their layers all the way down to their uniforms. Once our coach got the first drills set up he told us all to go back to our bags and put on our warm up jackets and sweatpants till game time. Even though we thought he was crazy (I mean it was perfect weather) we listened to him and began the warm up with our two layers of clothes on. After that day he set the rule that as a team we all had to wear our warmup jackets and sweatpants unless the temperature was above 70⁰. That day I was somewhat annoyed because I didn’t understand why I had to sweat through warmups while I could have easily taken off my jacket and sweats and been more comfortable, but today I now understand my coach’s purpose.

FC Barcelona's Warm Up Suit looks
like most generic soccer warm up suits

           In soccer the warms consist of a jacket and sweats, basketball has a long sleeved top with sweats as well. Why would teams what to spend more money on extra articles of clothing? It’s because they provide a purpose. As you warm up for you respected sport, your goal is to get your muscles moving and heart rate ready for the speed of the game, but between the times of warm ups and game time there is a little bit of downtime as starting lineups are announced and the national anthem is played, and during that time athletes keep their warmups one. Warmups provide an extra layer of clothing that keeps the body heat in which keeps a players muscles ready and even in the long run of the game help prevent cramping from the repeating warming and cooling of the muscles. If you watch wrestling, the warmups are probably the most important piece of the uniform because their sweatshirts and sweatpants tucked into their socks work to keep their body heat in so that their muscles are prepared to work to the max during the match.
           So to answer the question of if you really should invest in warmups, I would highly recommend it as it can benefit your performance as an athlete which is what the focus of the pregame is all about: how can I best prepare my body to perform at the highest level this game?

Images courtesy of www.soccer.com