Another Source of Triple Jump & Long Jump Spikes

Found another two suppliers of triple jump and long jump shoes - FirstToTheFinish.com. And they do ship to Canada. Also give a try.
Now that we're a bit more certain of how sizing works, perhaps next time we'll order online.

My daughter has been battling shin splints, and the pair of Asics Turbo Jump long jump spikes she picked up at Foot Tools (earlier post) has really helped. Shin splints aren't totally gone, but much better. The strap over the toe also keeps her toes from ramming into the top of the shoe.

Is there a difference between long jump and triple jump spikes? Eastbay has posted the following about Choosing the Right Field Event Shoe:
  • Long jump shoes tend to have a raised forefoot, sometimes referred to as a negative heel lift, that helps jumpers roll onto the forefoot during the plant for better toe-off.
  • Triple jump shoes tend to have a more level profile with more cushioning under the heel to help absorb the impact of going from the hop-and-step phase to the jump.

Browsing around, here's a recent post I found on Livestrong about the kinds of triple jump shoes Olympic athletes wear.  Got a bit curious about the brands/models long jump Olympic athletes prefer but couldn't find anything about this.


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Springless Trampolines are Safest

Very interesting learning today relating to play, trampoline safety and concussions. A timely topic as we approach summer.

The automotive industry established a safety standard called the Head Injury Criterion (HIC). This index measures the likelihood and severity of head injuries in an accident. A higher HIC score indicates increased likelihood of a more severe injury.

The HIC is now used as the safety standard for many products including playground surfacing materials and ... trampolines. Currently, the industry standard for playground surfacing and trampolines is a HIC score of 1000. This is amazing, consider what 1000 means.  Check out what 1000 means.

Head Injury Criterion Chance of NO Injury Chance of Minor Injury Chance of Moderate Injury Chance of Critical Injury Chance of Fatality
77 Over 99% Under 1% ~0% ~0% ~0%
250 65% 35% 12% ~0% ~0%
400 30% 75% 30% Under 1% ~0%
1000 1% 99% 90% 3% ~1%
2000 ~0% 100% 100% 65% 25%

Not all trampolines are equal!  The HIC of a springless trampoline by Springfree Trampoline* is just 77.

Read the full blog post, which contains additional research references.


* Full disclosure: In my non-sportsmom life, Springfree Trampoline is a client.  Given recent experience with concussions, this was personally very interesting!

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Triple Jump Shoes - Found Jump Spikes at Foot Tools in Burlington

Specialty track and field shoes are difficult to find in Toronto, particularly jump spikes for triple jump and long jump.  Even the Nike Toronto store in Yorkville doesn't carry jump spikes such as the Zoom TJ, and they're just down the street from Varsity stadium and Athletics Canada's National Development Centre.

My daughter has shin splints (hence the search for Kendall tape), and it was suggested she get jump shoes because they have more cushioning.
We were just about to place an order on Eastbay (close our eyes, cross our fingers, hope for the best on sizing and fit), when one of my daughter's Junior Blues track clubmates told her about Foot Tools in Burlington.  We treked out there yesterday and came away with a pair of Asics Turbo Jump shoes.  Just in time for the ROPSSAA meet this Friday.


Really glad we went in person.  Looks like the right size for Asics is a men's 8.5.  In Nike, she takes a 10 and Mizuno is an 11. Very patient, and they certainly know their shoes.

If you need track or jump spikes, try Foot Tools. Browse the website and call ahead to see if they have your size (+ or - one size up and down).  Ask if they have other shoes not shown online.  The Asics Turbo Jump isn't on Foottools.ca.

And if you or your track star belong to a track club, let them know as you may qualify for a discount.

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Robin Mahy Named Head Coach of the Southern AAA Ringette Team

Robin Mahy, who coached Team Ontario's Ringette team to a gold medal at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, will be head coach for the 2011-2012 Southern AAA Ringette Team. This is Robin's second time as head coach for Southern AAA. She was also the head coach of the Southern AAA team in 2007-08, when Southern won a silver medal at the Ontario Winter Games.

Robin's a wonderful coach! My older daughter played for Robin on the 2008-09 Belle (U19) AA team that was based in Burlington. That team consisted of players from 8 different associations. Playing short all season because we had players going to university as far away as Queens, the team was one win short of making 4th place, losing their final game at AA provincials in overtime. They won the Fair Play award, and it was one of my daughter's most satisfying ringette seasons ever.

Robin also introduced us that year to treadmill training at the Skating Lab, and the results turned us into fans of Dr. Kelly Lockwood and her team. It's made big difference to our players' skating.

My younger daughter's looking forward to trying out for Robin this weekend at AAA tryouts. Regardless of whether or not she makes it, it'll be a great experience.

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Kendall Ultra-Light Adhesive Sports Tape

Looking for a place to buy Kendall Ultra-Light Adhesive Sports Tape. Need the 3 inch wide product, to help alleviate pain with shin splints. Anyone know of a place in the Greater Toronto area that sells this tape? Please comment below if you do...

I've found a website (esportshealth.com) but would have to buy a case of 16 rolls.

It's sticky and won't fall off. So sticky, pre-wrap is a must.
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