Feet first
J.P. Squire
2009-11-06
If the shoe fits …
That has been a problem for Keremeos cattle rancher J.R. Clifton, whose feet require size 19 1/2 shoes.
The 21-year-old became the unofficial Mr. Okanagan Big Foot on Thursday, thanks to a Search for the Okanagan‘s Biggest Feet Contest by Roy‘s Shoes on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna.
The soft-spoken young man received a $1,000 gift certificate for a pair of custom-made shoes, a trophy bearing a size 19 1/2 sole and a T-shirt with the words, I am the Okanagan‘s Biggest Foot.
Clifton was attending a horse expo in Chilliwack with his fiance when an Okanagan horse owner told him about the seven-week contest.
“I thought, ‘Great. I‘ll probably get something for my big feet.‘ I wasn‘t sure if I had the biggest feet in the Okanagan, but I thought I may as well give it a shot,” he said.
He gets a few foot jokes sent his way, but most people focus on his six-foot-10 frame.
In fact, he had to bend over to get inside Roy‘s Shoes on the last day of the contest to enter. Shop owner Jim Belshaw was ready to declare him the winner at that point, but waited until the end of the day.
“The contest was a way to promote our custom-made shoes,” said Belshaw.
“It just took off. J.R., for example, was in Chilliwack when he heard about the contest. The response was phenomenal and it was a lot of fun. We had 60 to 70 people come in to register. Only 35 actually registered because they looked on the board (at foot outlines from entrants) and then they found out that they‘re not going to win.”
Custom-made shoes in the size 13-14 range cost $400 to $450, while a size 23 pair would cost about $1,100. The process of determining size, design, colour and choice of leather at his shop takes about six weeks, then a factory in Leon, Mexico, fabricates them.
“One of the most surprising results of the contest was the number of women who entered and had hard-to-fit larger footwear requirements, so much so that I started bringing in larger footwear sizing,” said Belshaw.
“The tremendous success of this year‘s contest will no doubt lead to the second annual Big Foot Contest – maybe just for the women.”
When Belshaw bought the shop three years ago, he carried up to size 13 for men and size 10 for women. He now regularly carries size 11 and 12 for women and up to 16 for men, but is looking for larger sizes.
Clifton‘s feet grew to size 12, the largest size carried by most retailers, before he hit puberty.
“I was kind of hoping they would stop growing when I could still get shoes. I didn‘t expect size 19 1/2,” he said with with a laugh.
“I get shoes here and there. I got these size 20 directly from New Balance, which makes shoes for athletes. These are their biggest. Work boots for around the ranch are tough, but Red Wing makes some. It would be nice to have a pair of dress shoes for my wedding next summer.”
His mother used to say: “We‘re going to have to butcher a cow to make a pair of shoes to fit you.” At the moment, he has only three or four pairs of shoes and boots.
In addition to the largest overall category, Clifton won the blue collar class.
David Crawford, a humour columnist for The Daily Courier, won the celebrity category with his size 15 feet.
“Can I use those for new ballet slippers?” he joked. “I make those too,” responded Belshaw with a laugh.
Ashley Pohl, 13, won the ladies category with size 14 1/2. Braxton Bunce‘s size 16 1/2 won the sports category. Brett Vanderhoek‘s size 15 1/2 won for civil servant.
Cal Manky‘s size 15 1/4 won in business professional and Tyler Harcus won in the general public category with size 18 1/2.
There were no entries in the politician category. Each category winner received a $200 gift certificate toward a pair of custom-made shoes.
Jim Belshaw
Roy’s Shoes Boots and Repair
1627 Ellis Street, Kelowna, V1Y2A8
250-763-5696
roysshoes@shaw.ca
http://www.roysshoes.com/
http://www.soles4soulscanada.com/
