Originally made by Ken Maely who made the steel “hot shoes” or skid shoes for motorcycle flat trackers, the sterling silver charms were replicas of those larger utilitarian pieces of equipment. Maely passed on a number of years ago, and others currently manufacture the shoes for the racers. Now the hot shoe necklace tradition has been picked up by former dirt-tracker now-jeweler Tom Duma.
Hot Shoe Necklace
Mine was a gift from my flat tracker son and my pit-crew husband long, long ago. People often commented on it, most thinking it was a ballet slipper. So I had the opportunity to explain the racing part of my life — which often was a surprise to the theatre people, the social service people, the speech and debate people, those who comprised other parts of my life.
I faithfully wore my hot shoe daily for about thirty years…until I lost it. The panic that ensued was second only to that of having lost my wedding ring a few years before. Treasured items! While I know that material goods only represent the real things in life (love, memories, etc.), it is still hard to part with something that has been with me daily through life’s trials and tribulations (my son breaking both ankles racing; horrendous storms, two giant oak trees falling on the house while I cowered in the basement) and the joys (grandsons, great grandson, happy occasions, triumphs, etc). I am sure my hot shoe contained particles from dirt tracks around the United States and Canada. Ah, so many memories!! So I did not part with it complacently. I retraced my steps, doggedly made phone calls, cried many tears, grieved….. And, lo and behold, after two weeks I received a phone call from a restaurant where I had eaten lunch that day. While cleaning, an employee had found it on the floor of the ladies’ room and put it into her pocket. She had then gone off on vacation, having forgotten it until she found it in said pocket and mentioned it to one of the waitresses (a recipient of the panicked phone calls). Hurrah!!! Found!!! Reunited!!!
The hot shoe necklace now lives in relative safety in my jewelry tray.
Incidentally, the story of the lost wedding band is quite similar. Retracing steps, frenzied phone calls, enlisting the help of maintenance staff, husband, and flashlights. To no avail. Until a week later, when the front desk at work called to say that what might have been my ring had been turned in by someone who saw it gleaming in the asphalt of the street after it had been run over and smashed flat by a school bus. The person was not even sure what it was but felt it might be important to someone. Me!!! A wonderful jeweler was able to restore it from a flat piece of metal to a lovely rounded ring with “Je t’aime toujours” still inscribed in script inside.
Special symbols….