Freestyle pro Youp Schmit (18) has declared war on the painful humps in his feet caused by complete overuse and, after a reasonably successful foot operation (we reported), has developed prototypes for freestyle foot straps: The Dutchman, who lives on Bonaire, uses wide foot straps from JP-Australia as a basis, but then cuts the hard plastic inlay into a conical shape on both sides, making it considerably narrower. Between the neoprene jacket and the plastic inlay, Youp pushes a wide and, above all, thick piece of double-layer insulation mat. He rounds off the long edges of the foam towards the neoprene with coarse sandpaper and sands it thinner at the narrow ends near the screws. This prevents the neoprene from tearing at the sides. The result is a super-soft, very comfortable foot strap that is also extremely durable. The result should not only please sponsor JP-Australia and other freestylers, but should also be of interest to slalom riders. No more foot pain to slow you down.
