Shoe Heat at the NCAAs

The WB1s worn by Johnny Sebastian of Northwestern at the NCAA Championships

I have to say, a few weeks out of the NCAA tournament season, I was a little disappointed in this years shoe game.  At the Division III NCAA tournament that I competed in, shoe heat was everywhere.  Olympic Inflicts, Original Inflicts, Rulons, Kolats, you name it.  But at the Division I tournament only a few shoes in particular stood out to me.

Flowrestling posted a series of pictures of shoes found in St. Louis, which can be found at Flowrestling's Facebook page, and I wasn't impressed.  A few pair of Nike Freeks and Hypersweeps were pictured, but at this point you aren't impressing anyone with those.

But in the first round when the 165lb weight class hit, things got a little more interesting.  Cody Burcher from Ohio State stepped on the mat with Olympic Inflicts, and shortly after Johnny Sebastian from Northwestern took the mat in the Wrestle Boutique 1's. Wrestle Boutique is a new brand of shoes and gear that releases extremely limited quantities of their products causing them to more than double in value the second stock runs out.

I still wasn't satisfied.  A tournament that big has to have more heat than that.  Luckily, Jacob Kasper from Duke saved the day when he stepped on the mat in his semifinals match, which was against  reigning Olympic Gold medalist Kyle Snyder, in a pair of mint condition 1988 West German Combat Speeds.  I have always believed that these are the Holy Grail of wrestling shoes.  I've actually only ever seen one pair of these shoes worn in a match because most people don't want to risk ruining a $1000+ pair of shoes over a blown sole.

So that's about it.  Only three pairs of shoes at the 2017 NCAA DI Championship caught my eye.  I'd say I am disappointed, but Jacob Kasper, a known Flickr boy who had worn a different pair of shoes for every match of the 2016-17 season, saved the day.

Jacob Kasper of Duke wearing a $1000+ pair of 1988 West German Combat Speeds at the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

Chinese "reps"

Wyoming's 2016 National finalist, Bryce Meredith, who made a historic run to the NCAA fnals as a 14 seed at 141lbs, while wearing a pair of Yellow Chinese Replica Olympic Inflicts.

A few years ago, wrestling shoe collectors were in panic over replicas of rare shoes being made overseas, and being sold for next to nothing here in America.  Nike's Olympic Inflict, one of the rarest shoes on the market, was being reproduced to be almost identical in look to the legitimate pair, and people had a hard time telling the difference between these replicas and the real things.  Olympic Inflicts at the time were the shoe to have on the market.  Owners of these legendary shoes were fearful, and actually angered, and demanded that people stopped buying these fake Inflicts so their pairs, which could real in over $1000 on a good day, would hold their value.

These "Chinese reps" as they are known in the shoe world, could be purchased on Chinese retail sites such as alibaba.com and aliexpress.com for around $50, and about a month wait for the shipping.  Great deal, right? WRONG.  These shoes had collectors worried, until they were put to the test.  With the exception of the Olympic Inflicts, all of the other replicas made by these retailers such as Nike Footsweeps, Adidas Ringers, and Nike Kolat 2000s, have significant changes in looks from their imitated shoe.  None of the replicated shoes could stand the test of time.  The soles are extremely thin from the time you pull them out of the box, and the bodies of the shoe are made so cheaply that I have seen pairs of these with the stitching coming apart after just a few wears.

Now, a few years since the release of these replica shoes, very rarely do you see any of them worn for matches, especially at high-levels.  I see them pop up on my eBay searches, generally with zero bids, because people have finally realized that although they may look decent, they were paying for a pair of shoes that would almost for certain not last them half of their season.

Prices on the originals have stayed rather unchanged.  Chaos erupted when reps were being released into the market, but now, a few years later, collectors have trained eyes and are able to spot the fakes almost instantaneously.  The differences are staggering between all of the real and fake shoes.  Most differ in looks and material used, but even those that don't such as the Inflicts, differ immensely in quality.  The lesson to be learned is that in any market, if money is being made, imitators are going to try to make a quick buck, but at the end of the day, as I've mentioned in previous posts, original is always worth more.

The Hunt

A message I received on Facebook a few months ago from a friend's dad, who scored a pair of brand new Adistars for next to nothing while thrift shopping.

Ones man's trash is another man's treasure.  We have all heard the saying before and it applies to just about everything.  I love thrift shopping, garage sales, craigslisting, and basically anything that I can find something cool for a cheap price.  These third-party sites have led me to find great deals on wrestling shoes as well.  To make money in the shoe business, one must constantly find new and unique ways to find rare shoes.  After the market catches on to your unique buying methods, there is little money to be made, so you have to stay one step ahead of the game.

The list of shoes I have bought off of unconventional sites and apps such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Mercari is actually quite extensive.  I have picked up Blue Kolats, Footsweeps, Original Inflicts, Dan Gable Ultraflexes, Chinese Combat Speeds, Lyteflexes, Ultra Combatants, and Elite Internationals for next to nothing through these mediums.

When I was in high school, a local sports shop had a sale on old shoes they had stored away in inventory for over a decade.  I picked up five pairs of retro Nike wrestling shoes, which included two pairs of 1996 Takedown Supremes.  The deals are out there, you just have to find them.

Basically why I'm writing this, isn't to give away my secrets, but to encourage all of the shoe addicts reading this to always be on the hunt.  I always make time to stop at the garage sale I pass by, or swing by the local Goodwill to see if anything is hiding in their shoe section.  Nothing makes my day quite like picking up a pair of rare shoes for cheap.  After all, the hunt is what makes collecting fun.

New Adidas Samples

Recently, I've been lucky enough to come into contact with a few pair of samples, which for those who don't know are basically the prototypes for shoes that are planned to be released in the future.  My college coach works closely with our sponsor, Adidas, and has acquired a pair of the new Jake Varner 2's and a pair of a potential new colorway of the recently released Flying Impacts.

Both of these shoes caught my eye when I first saw them.  They definitely are two of the better looking Adidas shoes of those that have been released in recent years.  The Varner's feature what is suppose to be an industry leading sole, made from the same rubber that was used for the legendary Sydney 2000 wrestling shoes.  The Flying Impacts offer a new camouflage colorway, and for the first time since Asics released their camo colorway of Pursuits, I think a shoe company got the camo trend right.  Recent releases of camouflage shoes such as the Asic Agressor 2's, Asic Split Second 9's, or even the new camo colorway of the JB V2's are flat out ugly.  Adidas has found a way to incorporate the camouflage trend into their shoe in a subtle and not overwhelming way.

When it comes to comfort, it's hard to judge for these shoes.  First of all, they are brand new.  Any brand new shoe is obviously hard to judge because they aren't broken in yet.  Another reason they are hard for me to judge is because they are a size 10, which I can, and will wear, but size 10.5 is more ideal in Adidas shoes for me.  That's the thing with samples though, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on a pair, you can't be picky about size.  Your options are usually limited to a size 8.5, 9, or 10.  For an unknown reason most samples you see are one of those three sizes.  I will say that the Varner's are bigger than the Flying Impacts, by close to a half size, but they seem to be designed for a narrower foot when I compared them to the Flying Impacts.

When it comes down to it, both of these shoes are shoes that I could see myself wearing.  Release dates have yet to be set, but I would assume they will be released during the summertime of 2017.

Nike Kolat 2000s

Size 10.5 Blue Nike Kolat 2000s.  Sold for $400 in August.

Being from Pennsylvania myself, Cary Kolat has always been one of my favorite wrestlers, and his signature shoes, are also at the top of my list.  For anyone that has been a user of Flickr for a long time, they may remember my username at one point being OG_Nolat, named after these legendary shoes.

I've owned probably five or six pair of these over the years of collecting, and have very few complaints.  These shoes, as long as the soles aren't dry-rotted, grip very well and are extremely comfortable.  Looks-wise, I think most would agree these shoes are hard to top.

The only recommendation I have for anyone looking to buy a pair of these, or any of Kolat's signature shoes, is to buy them a size big.  Not a half size, a whole size.  These shoes are a premier example of "running small".  I'm not picky.  I can wear size 10-11 in any shoe I've owned, and even at times I've worn 9.5, but not with these.  Last year I picked up a pair of blue kolats, size 10.5, and they were so tight I wore them for about two hours and my feet hurt so bad I had to change out of them.

Kolats are awesome shoes, but if you plan on owning a pair of them, get your wallet ready.  A pair in mint condition can rake in well over $500.  The last pair I sold was in August and they're the ones pictured above.  They were in good condition, with minimal wear and good soles, and they sold for $400.  Like any shoe, condition is everything.  In very poor condition I've seen these go for as low as $100.

I wouldn't recommend making these your every match shoes, just because of the steep price and the rarity of these shoes, but they make for a great shoe for special occasions such as the finals of tournaments.

Rulon Gardner Wrestling Shoes

Rulon Gardner's signature wrestling shoes.  Named after the 2000 Greco-Roman Wrestling Olympic Champion that dethroned Aleksandr Karelin, who was undefeated for 13 years in international competition.

These shoes are hot right now.  In the last few years, these shoes jumped from a price range of around $200 in perfect condition, to the $700 range for a pair that is brand new in the box.  In the years I've collected, I don't know that I've ever seen a pair of shoes jump in value so quickly, but there is a couple reasons as to why these shoes did.

The first is the name associated with them.  Any pair of shoes seems to be more on demand if they have the association of a great wrestler to them.  We watched it happen with the red, white, and blue Asic Ultraflexes a few years back.  Jordan Burrough's rocked a pair in the 2012 Olympic Games, and after bringing home a gold medal, the price skyrocketed, and has yet to come back down.  Rulon Gardner's shoes are no different.

The other reason these shoes sell for so much is their design.  These shoes were the first of their kind because they not only looked cool, but they lasted for what seemed like forever.  Nowadays, you do see a lot of beat up Rulons, but take into consideration that it has been close to ten years since these shoes were released, and most people wore them for not only matches, but years of practice as well.  I've owned a few pair of Rulons.  I have a gold pair I wore for the state tournament in high school and I also wore them when I earned All-American status for the first time in college.  They are still in awesome condition, even after wearing them for probably fifty matches, a fair share of practices, and whatever the previous owner had used them for.

If you're looking for a rare pair of shoes that you can wear for match after match and not worry about destroying them, these are for you.  These are one of the comfiest, and best gripping shoes I have owned, which is why I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a cool pair of kicks.

Custom Wrestling Shoes

Custom Nike Inflicts are pictured first and second is a pair of Asic Intensity Wrestling Shoes soleswapped with Asic Aggressor bottoms.  Both were done by toughsoleswaps, who can be found on Instagram.  He is one of the best in the business when it comes to custom shoes.

Custom wrestling shoes is a trend you see more and more of everyday.  Lets face it, reviving a pair of shoes that were once called "irreparable" is pretty awesome.  If I had every pair of rare wrestling shoes my older brother threw out when I was growing up due to sole blowouts, or other problems, I'd like to think my collection would be worth double its current value.  Nowadays, throwing out a pair of old shoes is just dumb.  People now not only can replace your old soles with new ones, but they can do so in a way that the shoes still feel normal.  This process, known as "soleswapping" can be done for a reasonable price as well.

I love the fact that you can now bring a "ruined" pair of shoes back to life, but it does have its downsides.  The biggest one I see is the mispricing of custom shoes on the secondary market.  Any antique is worth more if it is all original.  Any street shoe is worth more if it is in original condition.  Why do people think this is different for wrestling shoes?  People take shoes, such as original inflicts, replace the soles so they have a different colored bottom, and then want as much, or even more for them than they would have got for the inflicts in the first place.  It doesn't make any sense to me.

Another downside to these customs is finding a trustworthy person to make them.  Customs can be so much more than just soleswaps.  People nowadays are having their school logos, favorite sports teams, and a million other things put on their shoes.  The big recommendation I have for you when it comes to custom shoemakers or shoe repairmen is to do your research.  Any fool can "repair" shoes with a glob of shoe goo, or "customize" them by using a sharpie marker or a paint pen, but in the end it won't hold up.  Find someone with skill, that has experience, or you may end up with a pair of shoes that are worse than what you started with.

Custom wrestling shoes are genius.  They can set your pair apart from anyone elses, but be aware, if you go and stitch your high school logo on a rare pair of shoes, it could really hurt your chances of reselling them.  If you're like me, and have some shoes you don't ever plan on getting rid of, by all means do it if you please.  I love the idea of bringing old shoes back to life, or putting your own touch to a new pair, but as I mentioned before, original condition is worth the most at the end of the day.  The shoes pictured above are done by toughsoleswaps, who I believe is the best in the business for those planning on having a pair of shoes customized, or planning on bringing that old pair in their closet back to life.