Twelve-year-old Connor Slocombe walked away with USD2,500 (RM11,058) in cash after winning first place for having the worst-smelling sneaker at the 42nd National Rotten Sneaker Contest.
Image: Reuters
If you’re not one to clean your shoes, this is definitely the perfect competition for you.
Image: Reuters
Slocombe’s rotten-smelling shoe stood out among six other young contestants from around the United States. The stench was so intense that all four judges cringed at the smell.This was apparently his fourth attempt at the competition. Talk about determination!
Image: Reuters
According to NASA chemical specialist George Aldrich, the young participant somehow managed to produce ALL the different smells you normally get from a shoe.“One is the very putrid and then the pungent that kind of gets up your nose and makes your eyes water,” Aldrich said, as quoted by Reuters. “And then the heave part, which is just an involuntary reaction. He had all three of them.”
Wanna know how did these contestants create such rotten odours? It’s not just about not washing your shoe.
Some of the techniques they used included never wearing socks and walking through mud.
Image: Reuters
And what was Slocombe’s strategy?“Well my aunt owns a farm and sometimes I help out, so when I see animal poop I’ll step in it to get in the shoes to get dirty,” Slocombe said, as quoted by Reuters. “And then when we go fishing I’ll step in fish guts.”
Thanks to his ‘brilliant’ technique, he walked away with cold, hard cash and tickets to a Broadway show. He will also be inducted into the Odour Eaters Hall of Fumes.
Odour Eaters is a foot care company which became the official sponsor of the competition back in 1988. The National Rotten Sneaker Contest began in 1974 as a way to promote a new range of sneakers.
What an interesting promotional strategy!