Pickle Chicken and Pickleball Shoes Review

I’m going to start this review off with a complete non sequitur. A few months ago, I went to the grocery store and picked up a rotisserie chicken. On this particular day, I was in a rush, so I ran in, grabbed the second to last chicken in the display case, picked up a couple other items and headed home. The next day I pulled out the chicken to make my lunch and was surprised at the taste – salty and garlicy in a weird way (in my opinion). I looked at the label on the chicken container and it read “Pickle Brined Chicken”. Now I had been buying chickens at this store for a while, because I liked them, but this one definitely had a weird taste. The strange thing is I love pickles, but apparently not when it’s broiled into a roasted chicken. Long story short, I should have returned the chicken after the first taste, but I didn’t because I thought I could power through it and not have to hassle with a return of a partially eaten chicken.

Court Shoe Review

So, besides loving rotisserie chicken, I also have a passion for racquet sports. I have played tennis for most of my adult life and looking back, I know that my racquets, strings and over grip preferences have all changed over time, but never my shoes. I am an Adidas Barricade worshipper. They are a durable court shoe, that are light, breathable, supportive and stylish. I loved them so much, that I would usually buy two pair if I found them on sale.

Then came Pickleball. So, I literally, dusted off my 5-year-old pair of Barricades, put slapped them on my feet, and hit the courts. They still felt great for the first two months, until the sole started to separate from the shoe. So, I came home that night, after playing and searched for my faithful old shoes, only to find that the Barricade line had been “removed from the Adidas lineup”!!?? Nooooo!

Of all the equipment that needed to be removed (think thermally activated shirts or the extra-long sweat bands), someone at Adidas chose my favorite shoe! My feet and I were devastated. It took me some time to fully realize the loss, but later that night I sat down and broke the news to my feet. They took it fairly well, although I noticed they were sobbing a little as I fell asleep.

So, my next step was to take some time to research and find the shoes that replaced the Barricades. After some searching, I found that losing this shoe line was kind of a big deal for a lot of players. I found articles and blogs of people lamenting the loss of the great Barricade line. Once I pushed past the wailing and gnashing of feet, I found that Adidas was suggesting the GameCourt shoe would replace the Barricade in their shoe lineup. With that in mind, I found a store near me that carried them and beat feet to give them a run for their money.

First Impressions

When I first tried on the GameCourts, I found them to be a littler heavier than a normal tennis shoe. They have a sock-line feature that makes them snug while wearing and they are a little difficult to just slide onto your foot. I am not a huge fan of the sock-line snugness of the shoe and at times it takes a bit of maneuvering to get them on. Also, the shoe itself tends to run hot, as the ventilation seems to be non-existent. The shoe’s upper is made of a mesh material which should breathe, but I have found my feet running hot after 2 hours of play, even at night.

On the court, they feel a little clunky and it took a few games to get use to the rubber sole, that at times seems to grip the court a little too much. This, along with the shoe’s heaviness made me feel slow on my feet at times. As a reminder, I am comparing them to the Barricade, which were light, supportive and well ventilated. Lastly, my pair of GameCourts started to lose some of the stitching around the ankle and tongue after about 2 weeks. It’s nothing significant, but I had to trim the threads a bit because they would distract me by brushing against my ankles during points.

Bottom Line

I bought them about 4 months ago and they are my current court shoes, but looking back I believe I was too hasty in my decision to keep them. Hey, they were on sale for 20% off and I wanted to play the next day. Like my brined rotisserie chicken, I should have taken them back and picked up something I loved, rather than bear down and power through them.

My Final Thoughts – Likes

The GameCourts are:

·      Durable – the bottom of the shoes has worn down a little bit after 4 months of play, but nothing significant

·      They were a good option for a cheap person like myself

·      They feel snug around your foot

My Final Thoughts – Not so much

The GameCourts are:

·      Hot – my feet run really hot in these shoes

·      Not supportive - Not a lot of lateral support, even though they are snug fit

·      Clunky around the court – heavy and the soles like to grip the court

·      Difficult to get on – the sock-line requires that you slip your foot in and pull back on the heel each time you put on the shoes

To my wondrous belief, in researching and writing this article I found that some genius at Adidas is bringing the Barricade line back, so after using the GameCourt for 4 months, you will see me sporting a new set of Barricade kicks in the very near future. And maybe, just maybe you will see me doing this too. Maybe…