Jon Rice from Plantation hasn't shaved his beard in three years, and it's finally paying off.
On October 10th, Rice took top-prize at the 2nd annual Beard Team USA National Beard and Mustache Championships in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Rice won the "freestyle" category for his octopus-like stache that landed him on the cover of the Lancaster newspaper.
"It was really cool," said Rice. "It's something that I take a lot of pride in and it's getting a lot of notice right now."
Rice won $600, which he says will cover the expenses for his next two beard competitions. But for him, it's more about beard-bragging rights than prize money. He says the recognition more than makes up for the minor inconveniences, like eating.
"Chili-dogs, cereal, soup, anything with melted cheese is a no-go," Rice said.
People used to make negative comments about his beard, but now that it's grown out, Rice says, "It's an eye-catcher, in many cases it helps break the ice."
But what does his girlfriend think of it?
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"She loves the beard," Rice said with pride.
It doesn't get in the way?
"You find ways around it."
It took Rice and his girlfriend two hours to sculpt his facial fur for the Championships in Lancaster. They used tons of hairspray and even some glue to hold it up.
Rice has no plans to shave his beard. His goal is to have it touch the ground. He says that could take more than 10 years.
