For those of you unfamiliar with the world of competitive beard and mustache judging, now may be the time to get yourself hip to the phenomenon. The biennial 2017 World Beard & Moustache Championships took place in Austin, TX, over Labor Day weekend earlier this month, and local facial hair aficionados RVA Beard League sent eight of their own to participate. Each of the eight went home for placed awards, including Patrick Quinn from Powhatan winning 2nd place in the world for “Sideburns Natural,” and Amy Roberts from Glen Allen winning the world’s 1st place prize in “Creative Moustache.”
The RVA Beard League is a social volunteer group that does much more than show off elaborate and unique facial hair. The League is also heavily involved within the Richmond community as they believe deeply in community service, charitable funding, and camaraderie. These local bearded do-gooders have effectively raised $67,000 for Richmond charities, and they’re just getting started. Coming up next fall, RVA Beard League will host and bring the 2018 Great American Beard & Moustache Championship right here to Richmond.
The World Beard & Mustache Championships began in an uncertain time and place, but its influence has continued across the US, Europe, and Australia. “Like many things having to do with the sport of international bearding, the history of the sport is shrouded in controversy,” the WBMC website reads. “It seems more likely that modern competitive bearding event began with a 1990 event organized and hosted by the First Höfener Beard Club in its hometown Höfen/Enz, Germany, a small village in the Black Forest. In 1995, the same club hosted the second World Beard & Moustache Championships in the nearby city of Pforzheim.”
After only a few appearances in the United States since its inception, the 2017 World Beard & Moustache Championships found its way to Austin after being organized and sponsored by the Austin Facial Hair Club.
Besides Roberts and Quinn, the other six RVA Beard League members sent to the championships placed in several categories as well. Maxx Gerard took 4th in “Full Beard Natural Under 15.1 cm,” Johnathan Wakefield took 5th in “Full Beard Freestyle,” Josh Black with 6th in “Full Beard Natural,” Chad Roberts in 7th at “Full Beard Freestyle,” Jimmy Thomson with 9th in “Full Beard Freestyle,” and Katie Quinn placing 12th in “Realistic Beard.”
“We’re often people’s first exposure to Richmonders and, when we travel, we see ourselves as city ambassadors,” president Chad Roberts said in the latest RVA Beard League press release. “Our participation in the World Championships is a way to help redefine RVA to others and show them that Richmond is a great city, filled with amazing people.”
The most noteworthy of the eight RVA Beard League winner’s is Amy Roberts who took the gold for “Creative Moustache.” While she did not grow and cultivate her ‘stache for years to place in this category, the “Creative Moustache” is a category where anyone — gals, kids, and less fortunate guys — can create a fake moustache of any material, limited only by their imagination. And Roberts’ elaborate moustache, which featured dolls swinging from the branches of her upper lip facial hair, was not topped by anyone.
*Cover photos by Greg Anderson Photography (left) and Joe Friendly Photography (right)
