To see a video on James de Brueys’ plan to participate in the World Beard and Moustache Championship, click here.
For some students, excessive facial hair is a nuisance. But for one University student, it’s a work of art.James de Brueys, anthropology junior and bartender at The Chimes, has a particular side interest, and it’s one of the few that includes sideburns.De Brueys plans to participate in the World Beard and Moustache Championships in May, and he’s already prepping for the competition.”I really like growing facial hair,” de Brueys said. “It’s a hobby.” Held every two years, the 2009 Championships will be in Anchorage, Alaska. Last year it was sponsored by the Handlebar Club and held in Brighton, England. The first event was held in Germany in 1990. Beard Team USA, hosting this year’s competition, has several local chapters around the country. The different groups host social events and drink beer. “I just joined the Beard Team USA,” de Brueys said. “I had to send this guy an e-mail, and he asked me for my name and now I’m a member.”Competitors will come from places like Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the U.S., all of which have many beard clubs. There are several different beard and moustache categories, such as Dali moustache and Beard Freestyle.”I’m working on a fleur de lis,” said de Brueys, who styles his mustache with wax. “I might even go in for a moustache freestyle. I have a long time to let it grow.”The competition has few restrictions.”You can’t dye your hair or do checkerboards,” de Brueys said. “But in general, the world is your oyster. You just beard it up.”Once in Anchorage, de Brueys and a few friends will spend the week with other beard connoisseurs.”Evidently there will be a beard parade [for the competitors],” de Brueys said. “But we will also drink beer and eat bratwurst by a mine shaft.”The newly formed Australian beard team, the Australian Bushrangers, will bring a piece of home to the competition.”A band from Australia called the Beards will play,” de Brueys said. They are described as a band who “plays songs about beards for people with beards.”De Brueys said the Germans are traditionally the biggest competition.”I definitely want to make this a bunch of Southern boys going up to Alaska to show those Germans what for,” de Brueys said. De Brueys said he gets a lot of attention from his extreme tactics with his beard.”At school when people pass by me, they’ll start cracking up laughing,” de Brueys said. “I don’t care, honestly, as long as it makes people laugh at me or with me.”At work, de Brueys said customers make comments about his beard.”As the night goes on and people get more comfortable, they start talking [about my beard],” de Brueys said. In high school, de Bruey’s desire for extreme facial hair was held back by traditional school rules. He was only able to experiment with it during the summer.”The first beard I had was an Abraham Lincoln,” de Brueys said. The Abraham Lincoln is a chin beard.De Brueys is recruiting anyone that can grow a moustache or a beard.”There are a lot of college kids out there with awesome beards that should look into this,” de Brueys said.People interested are encouraged to e-mail the self-appointed team captain, Phil Olsen. There is no fee, no application process or acceptance process.- – – -Contact Ashley Norsworthy at [email protected]