Abstract: A bowling shoe construction includes a shoe upper, and a shoe sole mounted to the shoe upper. The shoe sole has a tread surface and a slide area on the tread surface extending longitudinally from a toe end of the shoe sole rearwardly to an arch portion thereof, and extending laterally across the entire width of the tread surface. The bowling shoe construction further includes a removable slide pad having a peripheral margin substantially equal to the peripheral margin of the slide area on the tread surface. The slide pad is removably secured to the tread surface by means of interlocking hook and pile fastener materials attached to the slide area of the tread surface and to the slide pad. The shoe construction still further include a removable heel which is removably secured to the heel portion of the tread surface with hook and pile fastener materials.

Abstract: An apparatus for trimming a sole of a shoe includes a support structure and a shoe carriage mounted on the support structure. The shoe carriage is constructed and arranged for mounting a shoe thereon and is movable along x and z axes. A sensing station is mounted on the support structure, the sensing station having a detector for detecting the exact outline of the shoe upper with respect to the sole. A cutting station is mounted on the support structure for trimming the sole of the shoe with a first cutter. The first cutter is movable along a y axis and rotatable about a t axis. A microprocessor controls the movement of the carriage between a starting position, the sensing station, the cutting station and back to the starting position and controls the operation and movement of the first cutter for trimming the sole of the shoe when the shoe is in the cutting station. A process for trimming a sole of a shoe is also disclosed.