Fleet Feet Sports

            Your President was in Jackson last week to do some legislative business and monitor Ann and Elmer Beardshall at the state capital as they worked a Longleaf Trace booth in connection with Lamar County Day.  I watched pensively while the tandem lobbied dizzy lawmakers as one-by-one, the statesmen happened to swerve by the makeshift booth which was covered with pictures of mostly Elmer and his closest friends on the Trace. 

            “Ever heard of the Longleaf Trace?” Elmer asked one of the fat cats with a cigar.

            “Hey man,” Elmer followed after not getting so much as an acknowledgement, “you look like you could use some exercise…”

            Needless to say, the fine committee that takes care of the Trace could have sent someone like Martha Rae or Vicki instead of Elmer, but the damage to south Mississippi’s reputation was mitigated by Ann throughout the day. 

            Later, I decided to visit the new running store in Jackson, Fleet Feet Sports, since you all know that I have very fleet feet.  I was immediately welcomed to this fine establishment by the owner, Jeff, who asked me the right questions about running.  As runners, we are wary of anyone trying to tell us anything about shoes; we think we know it all.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I don’t know near as much as the professionals at Fleet Feet, who brought out three choices of brands that I had not considered before.  I ended up changing for the first time in years to an Adidas model from the New Balances that I’ve been running in.  They have a better fit and I am very pleased with them.

            The service at Fleet Feet was great and the selection was wide.  The price was comparable to Road Runner Sports yet I was able to get personally fitted and advised.  For my money, I prefer to buy from Mississippians and will try to do so in the future.  If you need a new pair of shoes for running or walking, give Fleet Feet a try.

            Back at the Capital later in the day, I noticed Elmer hurriedly loading his minivan with his Longleaf Trace shirt on wrong side out.  Rumors were flying by then that he had bugged the governor’s office in an attempt to find out Mr. Musgrove’s intentions on running for another term, and that he had been listening in to conversations at the highest levels of state government.

            When asked by a reporter for confirmation of who had employed him to wire the office, Elmer replied,

            “I don’t  know Jerry Keywood but I do think that Amy would make a great first lady.  Heck, they already have a dog…”