How Many Shoes Do You Have?

I recently read an article in my local newspaper about shoe collectors. It told of a 19-year old young man who has a collection of, “…an astounding 140 to 150 sneakers.” He is part of a growing group of individuals called, sneakerheads. Many of these collectors are “… so passionate about their shoes that they will wait in line for hours, even days, and pay inflated prices for a paid of rare kicks.” The writer of the article admitted to owning only 20 pair.
     If the subject of sneakerheads interests you, you can read more at a couple of web sites I found through a Google search: a page from the Shanghai Star, SneakerWebsites.com,  and Midweek.com.
     So, being the naturally inquisitive person, I decided my count my shoes. My count? I have two pairs of tennis shoes, five pairs of running shoes (three trail and two road), three pairs of lightweight boots, three pairs of sandals, five pairs of dress shoes and one pair of golf shoes. That’s 19 pairs. To be fair, two pairs of the dress shoes are old and should be tossed while another pair doesn’t fit well. One pair of the tennis shoes is relegated for gardening—same for one pair of the sandals.
     Many athletes have a lot of shoes for a purpose. They rotate shoes every day or every few days. Their shoes get a chance to breathe and relax between uses. Good idea.
     So, how many pairs of shoes do you have?