10-Year Old Boy Wins The 29th Annual Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest
A big shout-out to Daegan Goodman, who took the Grand Prize Tuesday in Montpelier, Vermont, known to some as "The Rotten Sneaker Capitol of the World."
Daegan, a Montpelier native, may have had the shortest distance to travel to the rotten sneaker contest, but you couldn't tell that by smelling his shoes. Here's the full story:
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By Toby Talbot, AP
- The 10-year-old from Montpelier took the crown — and probably a few of the judges' olfactory glands — in the annual event, which lured eight other finalists to Vermont's capital city from across the country.
Daegan explained his simple recipe for winning the coveted Golden Sneaker.
"I just wear 'em, sweat in 'em, play sports — I just try," he said, the flashing bulbs and news cameras signaling the start of the youngster's celebrity.
Regular use and abuse seemed the treatment of choice for competitors in Tuesday's contest, which is sponsored by Odor-Eaters.
"I do BMX," said James Melton, 11, of Phoenix, Ariz. "The dirt and sweat combined made (my sneakers) really stinky."
James won a local contest to make it to Montpelier, heralded as the "Rotten Sneaker Capital of the World."
Appearing last in the 90-minute finals, James couldn't quite pass muster with "master sniffer" George Aldrich. But the impressive stench from his sneakers caused the 48-year-old judge to sway slightly nonetheless.
The annual contest began in 1975 as a way to help a local sporting goods store sell shoes. In 1988, Odor-Eaters — maker of anti-foot-odor insoles, sprays and powder — assumed sponsorship of the event.
As the winner, Daegan gets a $500 savings bond, $100 to buy a new pair of sneakers, the Golden Sneaker and a plethora of Odor-Eater products — fitting prizes for a boy with many more miles to walk.
Article comments
1 - Smelly Feet
Seriously guys, thats pretty sick. Smelly feet means that there an infestation of bacteria at your feet that would jump at any opportunity to make you sick. Don't risk it.