News Release
LA Contestants Sweep Imperial Moustache Category
Anchorage, Alaska – May 23, 2008 – The contestants from Los Angeles, Calif., took first, second and third place in the Imperial moustache category this afternoon at the 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships (WBMC) in Anchorage, Alaska. Nearly 300 gentlemen from 13 countries are in Anchorage showing off their hairy faces at in the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. Competition began with the moustache category at 2 p.m., followed by partial beards/goatees. The full beard category judging will take place at 7 p.m.
Forty-six contestants competed for top honors in six moustache categories. 2009 moustache winners by category are:
Imperial
Benjamin Juergens, first place, Los Angeles, California
Patrick Melcher, second place, Los Angeles, California
Alex Antebi, third place, Los Angeles, California
Dali
Tony Papai, first place, Germany
Max Klaus Pankow, second place, Germany
Robert Starnes, third place, New Orleans, Louisiana
English
Lutz Giese, first place, Germany
George Haskins, second place, Fairbanks, Alaska
Sam Holcombe, third place, Jacksonville, Florida
Freestyle
Keith Haubrich aka Gandhi Jones, first place
Devon Holcombe, second place
Luc Vanderbeuren, third place
Hungarian
Nicholas Dighiera, first place, Eagle River, Alaska
Guenter Rosin, second place, Germany
Josef Ibach, third place, Germany
Natural
Kees Lek, first place, Netherlands
Keith Jefferson, second place, United Kingdom
Ben Davidson, third place, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania
There are 17 officially sanctioned categories: eight styles of mustache, four varieties of partial beard/goatee, and five kinds of full-beard. The World Beard and Moustache Association’s goal is to promote the appreciation of beards and moustaches through events and competitions that encourage friendships among those with beards and moustaches.
The first World Beard and Moustache Championship took place in Höfen-Enz, Germany in 1990. By 1995, the Championship had grown into a biennial gathering, held in various European countries. Carson City, Nevada, was the first non-European city to host the group in 2003. Anchorage, Alaska, is only the second U.S. destination ever to host the event. Brighton, England, hosted the last WBMC event in September 2007, during which Beard Team USA unexpectedly mounted a serious challenge to the dominant Germans, taking first in five of the categories.
For more information, visit www.anchorage.net/worldbeard.
The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (ACVB) mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by one-third of the bed tax collected by lodging associations. One-third goes to the Municipality’s general fund, a contribution established in 1978, and one-third to service the bond debt and operations of the Anchorage Convention Centers. ACVB receives no state or federal funds. Explore www.Anchorage.net.
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Media Contacts:
Jeanette Anderson Moores
Public Relations
Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau
jmoores@anchorage.net
(907) 276-4118
Explore www.Anchorage.net
