Who is Ryan Sheckler
Ryan Sheckler is a huge name in skateboarding. When I was growing up in the early 2000’s he was already incredibly well-known. Older heads saw him as a kid with legit style, no grom-style kickflips to be seen and the tricks he did do were down proper gaps or stair sets with proper style. Younger kids skating back then saw Ryan as someone similar to their age absolutely killing it. Many kids my age were first introduced to Sheckler in Almost: Round Three – in my opinion, one of the most important videos of that era of skating. Skating to The Cure and jumping down some crazy stuff, it was easy for kids our age at the time to instantly look up to him, imitating his crazy low landing stance after he hucks down huge gaps. From there on out his popularity grew and grew, as well as his fan base shifted alongside that.
Sheckler has always been an incredibly respected skater, but it was around 2007/08 that there was a change… Some of the girls in my school (that thought skating was the lamest thing on earth), were saying Ryan Sheckler was cute. How did they know who he was? Why did they know who he was? Was I in a different universe where skating was now cool? I was then shown ‘Life of Ryan’. A reality TV show all about Ryan’s life. I can’t admit to watching more after being introduced, but he really did become one of the biggest names in skating with this show running alongside his skate career. Skate-wise during this period, Ryan left Almost for Plan B and filmed some unbelievable parts for both them and Etnies during that time.
He was a TV star as well as one of the best skaters in the world. He was crushing it. Life of Ryan gradually fizzled out as Ryan was bored of the scripts and how they took him away from his passion, skating. From there on out he was on a steady path of destruction, both of spots and his body. I only mention his body getting destroyed as one of the most obvious clips that springs to mind of modern-day Sheckler is that super gnarly bail he had, live on ETN a few years ago. He ended up breaking both ankles and crushing one of his vertebrae, live on my phone screen, possibly one of the gnarliest things I’ve seen in skateboarding. No one can question his commitment to skateboarding, and I would also argue that he is a genuine modern-day legend.
The Estrella is a versatile skate shoe
Ryan Sheckler has been on Etnies for 25 years and this year marked the ten-year anniversary of the Etnies Marana, Sheckler’s seventh pro-shoe with Etnies. As this year is the year of two special anniversaries, it only makes sense to celebrate the occasion with Ryan wanting to release a new shoe with Etnies, and as the Marana is still very much alive and kicking it has given Sheckler and Etnies an opportunity to create a skate shoe that can perform in environments both in and outside the streets and skateparks.
So what are the features of the Estrella? Sheckler himself states:
“I designed the Estrella to be versatile, I wanted to be able to work out in the shoe, skate in the shoe, and hangout in the shoe. Pretty much everything I do on a daily basis; I can do in this shoe.”
At first glance the Estrella holds a pretty typical high-tech skate shoe silhouette, and to be honest, that is what it is. Alongside technology that is commonly found in skate shoes nowadays such as reinforced toe-caps and tongue straps, this shoe is brimming with features.
A 400NBS rubber outsole compound, force shield reinforced upper, molded STI Pro Foam 1 insoles, and an Evolution Foam Midsole are all packed into this shoe. So please do not worry about this shoe not performing on a skateboard, this shoe will happily rival any high-tech skate shoe on the market.
Sheckler is a big believer in keeping fit and healthy, so a shoe he can go to the gym in, as well as skate and then go and grab some food afterward is a very rare beast. In fact, I would say it may be the only shoe designed to perform in all of these aspects. This shoe holds a low midsole, which is not only good for board feel, but it also keeps your foot low to the ground at the gym, keeping you stable. The rubber placed on the lateral side of the sole of the shoe also elevates the support given to you from the shoe. These features are wrapped up in the System Flo2 construction which keeps your foot as cool as possible. These features obviously work in a skate shoe too, so it only makes sense to create a shoe that can do both!
Obviously, a shoe you can chill in is more of an aesthetic choice rather than performance, but this shoe is a great silhouette and holds some fantastic details. The mandala detail on the sole of the shoe for example is a great nod to the tattoos Sheckler is covered in, which really gives the shoe a personal feel. That’s the key to this shoe I think. This shoe basically encapsulates Sheckler and his day-to-day life; go the gym, go skate and then go and chill. Everyone wants a do-it-all shoe, and I think this may be the closest thing to that on the market.
