While working on designing the local boathouse for the West Side Rowing Club, Buffalo architect Gerald Strickland noticed there was a need for improvement in the rowing shoe and how it was incorporated into the scull. Intrigued, Gerald asked the rowers about them, and discovered the shoes often caused a multitude of problems. The shoes are worn out, and often don’t fit the rower well, causing the shoes to sometimes slip off, often during crucial moments in a race. Being in a wet environment, they also develop an unpleasant odor. This insight gave Gerald Strickland the inspiration to design something better.