Oregon Public Broadcasting

Bend will play host to the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships this weekend. 

Bearded faces from across the country will converge on the Central Oregon town and compete to be named the best beards and mustaches in North America. From Bend, David Nogueras has this preview.

This being the first National Championship, Beardletes, as they prefer to be called will compete in just four categories. There's mustache, full-beard, partial beard, (that's more then a mustache and less than a full beard), and freestyle.

Competitors will be rated by a panel of judges including Miss Oregon, CC Barber, Captain Harry Lewis from TV's Deadliest Catch and Sarwan Singh, the owner of the world's longest beard, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

If you're wondering what a competitive beard looks like, look no further than Phil Olsen.  He's the founder and self-appointed Captain of Beard Team USA.  I asked Captain Olsen to describe his nearly foot-long full-beard.

Phil Olsen: "It's something like U.S. Grant, only longer.  Well at times I've worn a sort of a civil war outfit and it sort of goes along with the civil war era."

Olsen started Beard Team USA after stumbling into the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Ystad, Sweden back in 1999.  In the decade since, Beard Team USA has represented America in four World Championships, winning it all 2009, and toppling the long dominant German juggernaut.

Now that might be enough to make any patriotic heart swell with pride, but is this really a sport?Phil Olsen: "Of course it is.  It's a sport.  Our slogan at Beard Team USA is growing beards for America so if people can synchronize swim for America and people can Bob Sled for America then we can grow beards for America."

The First National Beard and Mustache Championship starts Saturday.

On the Web: 

Beard Team USA National Beard and Moustache Championships