What started as a fun Halloween costume has led to gold for an Ottawa man at the National Beard and Moustache Championships.
Colin Geitzler, who competes under the name Snidely Mansfield, took the top prize in the natural category, one of 18 at the competition held on the Labour Day weekend in Nashville.
He celebrated his win with plenty of beer, he says.
“Whenever you get that many eccentrics together, it’s a good time,” he told CTVNews.ca. “It is just facial hair; it can’t be taken too seriously.”
The natural moustache competition prohibits the use of any styling products, such as oils, waxes or sprays. Other moustache categories included Dali, Imperial, Hungarian and freestyle.
Geitzler, 35, previously took the title at the 2014 world championships in the English category with a 45-centimetre moustache twisted straight out to waxed points. That look was the inspiration for his competition name, a nod to the Dudley Do Right archenemy Snidely Whiplash.
More than 300 men took part in the national event on the weekend but Geitzler was the only Canadian. He laughingly attributed some boos for the Canadian flag to “Trump supporters.”
Geitzler says he’s been a hairy guy all his life and he’s enjoying the popularity of facial hair right now. The moustache is always a topic of conversation but he draws the line at letting people touch.
“A lot of people refuse to believe it’s real.”
Geitzler has his sights set on the next world championships in Austin, Texas in 2017. He admits his hobby costs him money, since there are few cash prizes in competitive bearding.
“It’s really just a good excuse to travel and get some bragging rights.”
