Stinky-Sneakers Winners Overwhelm Judges
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) ? Noah Nielsen's sneakers may reek something awful, but that stench has earned him some cold, hard cash.
Nielsen, 10, beat six other contestants from around the country Tuesday in the 30th annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest (search). He won a $500 savings bond, a $100 check for new sneakers and a supply of Odor-Eaters products.
The secret to his success? "No socks, ever."
"The stank was from rubbing my toes back and forth and making them sweaty," said Nielsen, with his trophy in hand and two golden sneakers hanging from his neck.
Nielsen said he also played soccer and baseball in the three-year-old Adidas patched together with duct tape.
In the week leading up to this year's contest, he refused to take a bath. When his parents insisted, they found him with his feet hanging out of the tub, his father, Peter Nielsen, said.
The wide gaps in the shoes revealed grimy toes and emitted a pungent odor that drove one judge to gag, another to take a step back and a dog to roll on top of the sneakers.
"Human feet shouldn't smell that bad," judge Bill Fraser said.
"I didn't like that," Bill Aldrich of NASA said after he took a sniff.
"I'll just take a step back," judge Martha Tucker said. "Those are impressive."
Nielsen is a veteran of the competition. Last year he was a runner-up in the state event.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) ? Noah Nielsen's sneakers may reek something awful, but that stench has earned him some cold, hard cash.
Nielsen, 10, beat six other contestants from around the country Tuesday in the 30th annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest (search). He won a $500 savings bond, a $100 check for new sneakers and a supply of Odor-Eaters products.
The secret to his success? "No socks, ever."
"The stank was from rubbing my toes back and forth and making them sweaty," said Nielsen, with his trophy in hand and two golden sneakers hanging from his neck.
Nielsen said he also played soccer and baseball in the three-year-old Adidas patched together with duct tape.
In the week leading up to this year's contest, he refused to take a bath. When his parents insisted, they found him with his feet hanging out of the tub, his father, Peter Nielsen, said.
The wide gaps in the shoes revealed grimy toes and emitted a pungent odor that drove one judge to gag, another to take a step back and a dog to roll on top of the sneakers.
"Human feet shouldn't smell that bad," judge Bill Fraser said.
"I didn't like that," Bill Aldrich of NASA said after he took a sniff.
"I'll just take a step back," judge Martha Tucker said. "Those are impressive."
Nielsen is a veteran of the competition. Last year he was a runner-up in the state event.
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