That's right, my custom Etnies helped me be a better skater. Unbelievable at first, but consider my reasoning.
Do you remember when you were a little kid (or adult) the feeling you would get when you got a new pair of shoes? Especially if they were pumps, had lights, air bubbles or some other unique feature that made you feel special. I know I did and have a lot of friends that have described feeling like they could suddenly fly, were invincible or had otherwise been bestowed some divine form of superhuman power.
Nowadays, since almost every conceivable and even inconceivable form of footwear has been invented, worn and beat to death, getting a new pair of shoes just isn't as special as it used to be, mainly when you know that approximately 100 million other people have the exact same pair. This is where custom shoes make their grand entrance.
I've gone through a lot of skate shoes and can still remember when most were basically the same, so hanging with my skaters would mean that we were wearing identical shoes. I decided to give the "Design Your Own" feature a try and made my first custom Etnies.
They were mostly black and had my nickname "Chavo" embroidered in white on the sides and let me tell you, they were much better than those "make your own custom skate shoes by spray painting some old crappy canvas shoes that you find laying in the back of the garage" types. If you know Etnies, you know that these are high quality skate shoes that can take a beating and with literally thousands of possible combinations, you can feel safe that your custom Etnies are unique.
So back to how I am a better skater because of this. First off, no, the custom Etnies do not give physical powers that allow you to ollie higher, complete megaflips or fly (sorry to disappoint!), but what they did provide for me was transformation on a psychological level. Skating is all about individuality and it may sound strange, but when you feel in your element, that you are individual and unique, you allow your personal style to flow through your skating. For me this meant skating faster, smoother and most importantly, with a smile, knowing that my new kicks were the envy of the park.