A Rotten Way to Lose a Contest
BACKGROUND: Alex Momdjian, 10, of Glendale, went East last week to compete in the 17th annual Rotten Sneakers Contest in Montpelier, Vt.
UPDATE: Momdjian, who relied solely on foot perspiration to turn his sneakers into a pair of rancid-smelling things that nearly had a life of their own, lost out to much heavier artillery.
Momdjian, finished fourth among 12 national finalists in the odd event. Taking the first prize was Meghan Mackey, 8, of Chugiak, Alaska, who made the judges wince with sneakers that had festered for more than a year on Meghan’s feet as she cleaned out stalls and corrals inhabited by a pony, sheep, ducks and cows.
“The stunningly lethal odor rising from her sneakers even astonished me,” said head judge Dr. Herbert Lapidus.
The sponsor of the event, the corporation that makes the Odor-Eaters shoe inserts, said the winning sneakers from this year’s competition would be placed in an exhibit at the sporting goods store in Montpelier that started the event in 1975.
Call it the Hall of Fume.
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