Who is Jamie Foy?
Before we delve into the details of the shoe itself, let's first look at the skater that helped create it. Jamie 'Big Boy' Foy.
Jamie was born and raised in Florida, a place I'm certain has some sort of magic in the water as it is well known for churning out an absurd amount of incredible skateboarding talent.
Whether it's alligator piss or just the fact that everyone from there has a small case of the 'Florida Man' syndrome, the skaters that come out of the towns and cities of Florida are often just slightly more gnarly than the rest of the world.
It’s a bold claim I know, but when the Sunshine State is steadily creating a roster of skaters such as John Dilo, Zion Wright, Brad Cromer, Andrew Reynolds, Elissa Steamer, Rodney Mullen and of course Jamie Foy to name a few, you can surely see where I'm coming from. I mean, that is more than a few names if I'm being honest, but it just goes to show that Florida is basically a gigantic conveyor belt of insanely talented skaters.
Even amongst the names just mentioned, Jamie manages to hold his own. Jamie's skating oozes style and ability with the perfect amount of danger, and when I say the perfect amount, I mean maximum levels of danger. The dude frontside crooked El Toro first try, need I say more?
Foy is one of the biggest names in the world of skateboarding and is firmly part of a very elite group of skaters that crush it both on the streets as well in competitions. For someone born in 1996, Jamie has already achieved many things most pro skaters can only dream of, earning himself three medals competing in the X-Games as well as being crowned Thrasher Magazine's Skater of the Year in 2017. This rise to the top did not take long at all. Already a prominent name in and around Florida, once Jamie moved to Long Beach in 2016 he quickly found himself repping a Red Bull cap and riding for Deathwish Skateboards.
Deathwish skateboards and Thrasher KOTR
Being the new and exciting flow kid on Deathwish earned Jamie the chance to get in the Deathwish van on the 2016 Thrasher Magazine King of the Road. As you probably know, Jamie handled business on that trip and secured himself a spot properly on the Deathwish team as well as the hearts of all the skaters watching him. 2017 was similar in regards to Jamie being on an absolute tear, working his way up to be a skate legend in a handful of years. An 8 minute Red Bull part filmed by Ty Evans, a heavy welcome to Deathwish part as well as a steady hammering on his Instagram account resulted in another huge year for Jamie. 2017 saw Jamie swap from Diamond footwear to New Balance Numeric, turning pro for Deathwish (three months after his welcome to the team part released) and oh yeah, winning the Thrasher Skater of the Year award. By this point, it is safe to assume he had 'made it'. Did Jamie slow down at all after he had achieved all of this? No chance.
By 2019, Jamie's persistent level of destruction since he first blew up onto the scene resulted in him earning his first pro shoe on New Balance, the 306...
The New Balance Numeric 306 a Jamie Foy signature shoe
You would imagine that someone of Jamie's stature and skate style would be screaming out for a nice, protective cupsole shoe. Perfect for keeping those slabs of meat protected whilst jumping down some serious rail/stairs. Nope, Jamie is a vulcanised sole kind of skater, someone that holds board feel in the highest regard. This then gives New Balance a true test, how exactly do you make a vulcanised shoe work for someone of Jamie's size and ability without making the shoe look like a toddler drew it? Well, let's get into it.
At first glance, it would be easy to look at the 306 and assume it is another slim vulc shoe offering little to no protection. You would be right in saying it is a slim vulc shoe, but New Balance has really gone the extra mile with these to ensure your (or Jamie's) feet are protected, no matter how ridiculous the spot your skating is. With the 306 being a vulc sole unit, the outsole is naturally pretty thin, great for board feel, and terrible for impact protection. So on top of the outsole sits a closed-cell polyurethane liner, creating the perfect mix of protection and feel.
Another common issue with vulc shoes is the sole going floppy after a few weeks of skating. To prevent this from happening New Balance has constructed the shoe with a pliable lasting board within the sole to ensure it is well supported. As well as the protection for your foot, this shoe is slightly wider than a traditional vulc shoe due to the amount of padding around the heel area. This in turn makes the shoe sit around your heel really well, creating a solid and secure fit. Like Jamie Foy, the 306 performs at the highest level for much longer than you'd imagine.
We can all see how aesthetically pleasing the New Balance 306 is, but it’s always good to know that it can function to a high standard too. As I mentioned at the beginning, the 306 has been going for five years now, and there is no sign of it going anywhere anytime soon. Similar to the Adidas Busenitz or the Vans Old Skool, there are shoes out there that are absolute classics, the 306 is heading that way if it isn't there already.
