New York City Beard and Moustache Championships, May 16, 2006

(Photo of Jack Passion by Frederic Neema, www.fnphoto.com, may not be used without permission.)

Hurry! The New York City Beard and Moustache Championships are coming May 16! In a trend documented recently in the New York Times, on Good Morning America, and the Today Show, moustaches and beards are sprouting all over the Big Apple as hopeful facial hair wannabes get ready for the big event. Great prizes for all the winners. Stars of Beard Team USA, including Jack Passion, will be there. Anyone can enter but space is limited, so sign up now. All the lastest information, registration and tickets are available at the website, www.nycbeard.com. The NYCBMC will be held at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., Manhattan (Tribeca area), beginning at 8 pm.

Splitting Hairs, the movie

Splitting Hairs is a full length documentary film about Beard Team USA's trek to Berlin, Germany, last October to compete for the USA at the World Beard and Moustache Championships. The movie is set to be released in the near future. For the latest, including a trailer, check out www.splittinghairsmovie.com.

Scarsdale High School Beard Club

Congratulations to the Scarsdale High School Beard Club in Scarsdale, New York. The school recently granted the club official sanction, despite initial opposition, due to overwhelming support from the student body. The SHSBC is now the second largest club at Scarsdale High, with 41 members attending the second meeting. Good luck and keep up the good work!

You can visit the SHSBC at www.freewebs.com/shsbeardclub.

Marco and Daron

( www.gettyimages.com is the source of the photo.)
(Photoshop is the source of the facial hair.)

US super skiers Marco Sullivan (left) and Daron Rahlves (right) served as distinguished judges at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Carson City in 2003. Here they pose with Daron's wife Michelle (center) at the Hahnenkamm downhill ski race in Kitzbuehel, Austria, on January 21, 2006. The Hahnenkamm is the Super Bowl of downhill ski racing. This year Daron took third in the race, which he won in 2003.

Both Marco and Daron were on the US Olympic Team in Torino, but unfortunately did not medal, so they will remain unknown to the majority of the American public. Meanwhile, Daron has already won three World Cup downhill races this year (Beaver Creek, Bormio, and Wengen) and is currently third in the World Cup downhill standings and sixth in the World Cup overall standings with one weekend of racing to go.

Go Marco! Go Daron!

Upcoming Beard Events

Fans of Beard Team USA will want to mark the following dates on their calendars:

April 29, 2006 -- German International Beard and Moustache Championships, Hesel, Germany. For info see http://www.baffone.net.

May 16, 2006 -- New York City Beard and Moustache Championships, hosted by the producers of Splitting Hairs, the documentary film about the WBMC in Berlin, due out soon. The event will take place at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., Lower Manhattan, New York (Tribeca area), starting at 8 pm. Special appearance by Jack Passion.

July 3, 2006 -- High Sierra Beard and Moustache Championships, Village at Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe), California.

July 29, 2006 -- Minnesota Beard and Moustache Championships, St. Paul, Minnesota. Members of Beard Team USA will be special guests of the St. Paul Saints baseball team for this event.

September 23, 2006 -- European Beard and Moustache Championships, Amberg, Germany, hosted by the East Bavarian Beard and Moustache Club. For info see http://www.bc-ostbayern.de.

September 1, 2007 -- World Beard and Moustache Championships, Brighton, England.

March, 2009 -- World Beard and Moustache Championships, Anchorage, Alaska.