? ?
WORLD / Odd News
World's best whiskers vie for honors
(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-02 15:08
LONDON - One contestant had a mustache twisted into the shape of London's
Tower Bridge; others sported bushy beards that would make Grizzly Adams
envious. In the end, Beard Team USA nabbed four of the top honors - by a
whisker - at the World Beard and Mustache Championships.
Willi Chevalier, from Germany, competes in the World Beard and Moustache
Championships, held at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, southern England,
Saturday Sept. 1, 2007. [AP]
About 250 shaggy men from around the world competed Saturday in 17
different classes of facial hair at the competition in Brighton, England.
The event had long been dominated by German beard clubs, but the
Americans made a strong showing at this year's competition, taking
victories in four categories.
Jack Passion, a 23-year-old from San Francisco, won the highly
competitive "Full Natural Beard" competition with his flowing orange fuzz.
"I feel fantastic," he said, "I'm 23 and I have the best beard in the
world."
He attributed part of his success to his outfit, a blue tuxedo and bowler
hat, which helped bring out the red in his beard.
"I looked like a groom," he said. "Too bad you never get married when you
have a huge beard."
The mustache categories include the "Dali" - slender with long tips,
straight or arching up - and the big and bushy "Hungarian," while the
beard categories ranged from the shorter "Verdi" to the rounder, more
expansive "Garibaldi."
Those with particularly fanciful fuzz - like the man with the Tower
Bridge growing from his face - competed in freestyle categories.
Competitors were barred from using extensions or hair pins, although wax
and hairspray were allowed in some cases.
The first World Beard and Mustache Championship was held by beard
enthusiasts in Germany in 1990. The next championships in 2009 will be
held in Anchorage, Alaska.
"Anchorage knows how to put on a show," said David Traver, 42, who is
organizing the 2009 event. "And they have a fantastic appreciation for
whiskers."
Top World News ?
* Italian tenor Pavarotti is dead
* Nuclear bombs mistakenly flown over US
* Britain approves human-animal embryo research
* Social security scandal angers Japanese
* US Sen. Craig resigns over sex sting
Today's Top News ?
* Hu tells Bush: It's time to 'get tough on Taiwan'
* Wen outlines economic strategies
* Bin Laden plans video on 9/11 - group
* Chinese men win gymnastics title
* APEC outlines trade, security policies
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment