Images via Gokul Venkatachalam When we spoke with spelling bee champ and sneakerhead Gokul Venkatachalam following his co-champion finish at the 88th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, he mentioned that he was looking for a sneaker endorsement. He doesn't have a contract yet, but he did get sent a very special package from LeBron James. Gokul, 14, actually wore a LeBron James jersey under his shirt during the National Spelling Bee and he's been a fan of the NBA player since he was seven years old. LeBron's camp reached out to Gokul following the spelling bee. After heading back home to St. Louis, Gokul received two boxes of footwear. One, from the LeBron James Family Foundation, had a pair of LeBron's Nike LeBron 11 Elite player exclusives. The other, from the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a pair of the LeBron 12 "All Star" signed by LeBron with the special message: "Congrats on being spelling 'B' champ." The packages also contained Cavs gear, Beats headphones, and other goodies.
Aside from these special Nike LeBrons, Gokul hasn't had any time since the spelling bee to pick up sneakers. Instead, he's been devoted to a post-championship press circuit that's barely allowed him to be home.Gokul Venkatachalam (no not Goku from Dbz) is blowing up right now with him winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee but he did it rocking a fresh clean, pair of “Legend Blue” Air Jordan XIs. goes to show there are all types of sneakerheads. In his past competitions he was rocking some KD’S , Lebrons, Oreo 4’s and even Jordan 13’s but i what i like about Gokul is that he rocks them not dressing like a hypebeast which makes it 5 times doper. Congrats Gokul for being a awesome sneakerhead. Air Jordan XIII “Black/Gym Red” (via St. Louis Magazine) Air Jordan IV “Oreo” (via WiscNews) Nike KD VI “Away II” (via Getty Images) Air Jordan XI “Legend Blue” (via @cjzero)I was inspired to write this piece after I watched Heskicks’ video “Don’t Become a Sneakerhead” (Watch HERE).
The video was very thought provoking, and I thought as an older and hopefully wiser sneakerhead, I could pass on some knowledge to the younger sneakerheads out there to help out. Here are, in my humble opinion, my 6 keys to being a smart sneakerhead. I’ve seen people first hand put sneakers in front of things like rent, bills, and food. As a sneakerhead, I completely understand wanting every release that comes out, but this sneaker thing we all love and do is a hobby, it isn’t life. You can’t place “wants” above “needs”. No matter the hype, no matter the pressure, no matter period. If you set your priorities straight, that should leave you the right amount of money to budget your sneaker habit. After all the “needs” are taken care of, that should leave you some money for your “wants”. If it doesn’t, I’m sorry to say, sneakers as hobby, is not for you. Personally, I can realistically cop sneakers once a month or so without it affecting my family’s life (wife and kid).
I know my limit, it hurts sometimes when a certain release week is just filled with straight fire, but it is what it is. Which actually brings me to my second point. 2. Create a Sneaker List I’ve done this for the past couple of years, and it works for me. With the way the internet and social media is, most sneakerheads have a good idea what is coming out sneaker wise for the year. Based off my budget, I create a realistic list of sneakers I want for the year. Does it change here and there a little bit? Of course it does. Sometimes I add a sneaker, and in return I take one off. I believe having a list like this will give you a sense of “sneaker tunnel vision” so you aren’t distracted by the hype and can focus on the sneakers you really want and also help you stay within your means. These two are the toughest to accept as a sneakerhead, because it takes the most work. But let me tell you from personal experience, it also the most rewarding and satisfying.
You have to obtain knowledge on current sneaker culture. If you know what sneakers you can wait on and cop for under retail, sometimes severely under retail, you can save yourself some serious money and possibly even add more sneakers to your sneaker list if you are under budget. Obviously, you can’t be patient with Yeezys, certain Jordan retros, most collabs, etc. However, with the majority of releases, if you pay attention to the hype and attention a sneaker is getting, you can figure out whether it’s a sneaker you need to cop for retail on release day, or if it’s a sneaker you can wait and cop for the low later. Trust me, there is nothing like copping a sneaker you really wanted for 50% under retail. The high is amazing lol. Not every great deal is online (kicksdeals, sneakersteal, heskicks, etc.) by the way, you’ll be surprised at the deals you might find at your mall, Ross, Nordstrom Rack, etc. Make sure to take time to read sneaker blogs, twitter, and whatever sneaker information you can find to educate yourself on what’s going on in today’s sneaker culture.
I’ve seen a lot of uneducated sneakerheads make horrible financial sneaker decisions. Don’t be that guy or gal. As NBC used to say, the more you know… Trust me, I hate resellers as much as the next sneakerhead. However, I think most of us agree there is a major difference between a reseller who buys 100 pairs of GRs and makes $60 off of each pair and a reseller who buys a pair of yeezys or two for retail and resells to enhance his or her sneaker budget. The first type of reseller strips a lot sneakerheads of the opportunity to enjoy the sneakers but cannot afford resell price. The second type of reseller is the reseller I am, and I say that proudly. I don’t resell too many sneakers, just a few here and there a year. I just make sure to focus on sneakers I know that will be highly profitable and aren’t on my personal list of sneakers so I’m not tempted to keep them obviously. Trying to cop 100 pair of GRs is a lot of work, which most of us with regular 9-5s probably don’t have don’t have time or energy for.
I do however believe most of us wouldn’t mind putting in the leg work every once in a while to grind and cop a sneaker that can make a hefty profit to use on future purchases. Let’s face it, pricing on sneakers for the most part is getting pretty out of hand. $200 there, $250 there. As long as people keep buying, the prices will continue to go up. If you are able to look beyond the hype, you will find that there are plenty of other sneaker options out there that are way more affordable and way more easier to cop. Off the top of my head, Saucony, Asics, Puma, New Balance, Li-Ning, Brandblack, Fila, Reebok, Diadora, Brooks, the list goes as far as sneaker companies that offer quality sneakers, minus the hype and minus for the most part the ridiculous price tag. I also like collecting off brand sneakers because you don’t see too many people with them on. I know most of us feel a little something something when somebody has the same exact pair of sneakers on as you do.
By wearing “unhyped” brands, it definitely limits the chances of somebody else wearing the same kick as you, while also helping you stand out in a crowd. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having some diversity in one’s collection. 6. Take Care of Your Sneakers And no, I don’t know mean put plastic bags over them while you walk lol. This entails properly storing your sneakers, cleaning your sneakers, and wearing your sneakers with some awareness. If you can, try to store your sneakers around room temperature. You obviously don’t want them in a place that’s too hot or too cold. Shrink wrapping is great for keeping a sneaker looking pristine and it also prevents it from discoloring. However, over time it also dries out materials which in turn will crack/crumble. In the end, there is no perfect way to store your sneakers, but from personal experience, storing them at room temperature definitely helps to preserve them. One other thing I do is put the paper, extra laces, and receipt in a big ziploc bag.
I do that to keep the “OG all” items organized in one bag just in case I do plan on selling the sneakers. You don’t have to do it every time you wear them, but cleaning your sneakers every now will help them to stay looking new and also assist in prolonging the life of the sneaker. If you don’t clean your sneakers, you run the risk of getting them dirty or beat to the point where they can’t be restored to like new condition. The cleaner you keep your kicks, the longer you can go without replacing them and the more you can make money wise if you decide to sell. Neither storing or cleaning your sneakers properly takes an inordinate amount of effort or time, so there is no excuse in not being able to execute these two tasks. “Man it’s raining hard outside, time to bust out my all-suede New Balances!” Don’t be this person. I know it may seem obvious to some, but still, don’t be this person. It’s easy to overlook, but have some awareness and think twice before putting on your top shelf pairs.