Big shoes to fill: Bauer steps in to provide custom skates for Salisbury teen
At 6-10 and only 14, Laylan Taylor wears a size 18EE hockey skate
Kayla Hughes wasn't sure how she was going to help her 14-year-old son fulfil his dream to play hockey this season.
Like most teenage boys, Laylan Taylor had outgrown last year's hockey equipment.
Normally, the single mom from Salisbury, N.B., has the means to purchase skates and second-hand equipment to fit the growing boy, who plays forward with the Petitcodiac Salisbury Flyers.
This year presented a new challenge: Taylor had grown more than expected.
Taylor is now 6 foot 10 inches, with a shoe size of 18EE.
"I have his growth chart," she said. "Laylan has actually always been in the 95th percentile."
For the past decade, Hughes said, a pediatrician has followed her son, who has had numerous tests monitoring his rapid growth.
"He's had genetic testing, he's had DNA testing," she said. "He's had his pituitary gland tested because we thought there was something maybe off with his growth because he was growing at such a rapid rate."
Those skates are expensive
The numerous tests determined one thing. "Laylan is actually just that tall. There's nothing wrong with him."
Hughes knew the only type of skate that would fit her son would have to be custom-made, so she brought him to Maritime Source for Sports in Moncton to have him fitted.
What she wasn't expecting was the price tag. The cost of the skates was $1,610, which was more than she could afford.
Hughes decided to put the order on hold until she could figure out a way to pay for the skates.
She turned to her community for help.
"So that's why I started a GoFundMe, [because] skates, plus the gear, plus the hockey registration, you know, is a lot."
Hughes said she was grateful when people donated more than enough money to cover the cost of the skates.
Then she had another surprise.
Bauer, a sports equipment company, contacted the manager of Maritime Source for Sports and asked if they could furnish custom skates — at no cost.
It was an offer Hughes and Taylor couldn't refuse.
'To the brink'
On Friday, the mom and son headed to the store so Taylor could get fitted for those skates.
Jean Luc Melanson, the store supervisor who took all of the necessary measurements to send to the company, said fitting a customer for size 18EE took some extra planning.
Melanson said in the six years he has worked at the store, the biggest skate he has fitted was size 12.
"It was definitely a different challenge," he said. "It pushed our equipment to the brink, for sure."
Melanson directed Taylor to the 3D scanner used to take feet measurements. "Actually, I think his feet maxed out our machine," he said.
So Melanson went an old-fashioned route, and drew an outline of Taylor's feet on a large, white piece of paper.
Later, he pulled out a measuring tape and plastic gauge used to measure feet.
"So our gauges usually only go up to a size 14," he said. "I had a feeling his feet might be a little bit bigger than that."
Then he started to measure the length, depth and width of each foot and the circumference of the ankles.
Melanson said fitting someone for a custom pair of skates "drives a little bit of anxiety, for sure," but he is confident they'll be able to find Taylor a pair of skates that fit.
Taylor thinks it will take four to six weeks before his new skates arrive, just in time for the start of the hockey season.
He said he's excited at the prospect of having skates that will fit his foot properly so that he doesn't get blisters and sore feet.
"They're supposed to be able to take my strides," he said. "I have longer strides."
Taylor said his height helps him with his game. "I have a longer reach on my stick and I can grab the puck easier," he said. "And if I sit in front of the goalie on the other team, I cannot be moved."
Hughes said she gets emotional when she thinks about the generosity of Bauer and the community's support that will allow Taylor to continue playing a sport he loves.
Playing hockey pushes him in a "positive direction," she said. "Kids need something to hold on to, to build their character and strength," she said.
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