Funko POP! Brutus the Buckeye on a marbled counter-top. He's surrounded by real buckeye nuts, buckeye ceramic art, and there's a large clear beer glass in the background.

O-H-I-O and a Pint to Go

Funko POP! Brutus the Buckeye on a marbled counter-top. He's surrounded by real buckeye nuts, buckeye ceramic art, and there's a large clear beer glass in the background.

Be still, my Sasquatch heart. The National Beard and Mustache Championships landed on the same day as the Ohio State vs. Penn State game. I know what you’re thinking: just go see the battle of the facial hair. I’m with you! Truly, I am. But here’s the thing: it was unclear at the time if they’d sell tickets to the general public. Even if Nate and I pooled our resources, we couldn’t enter a contest of that caliber. So we decided to join a bunch of Buckeyes at a bar in Seattle to cheer on OSU—because we’d never done that before, either. Not in a bar. Not dressed all in our OSU gear. Not at 9:00 a.m. in Seattle, 45 minutes away. Not with a giant pretzel and beer. Not without a nap afterwards.

It was loud, raucous—lots of money went into the “swear jar—” I tried a Hefeweizen, which is not at all like a Heffalump, though you might see a few after a pint or two. I cheered when people cheered, booed when they booed, shouted O-H-I-O, returned a lot of high 5’s. I will never be the same. I will expect all games to be like that, but they won’t be. Nate and Alex will watch them in the living room while I do anything but that.

I’ll be checking the National Beard and Mustache Championship results—and FAQs, shaking my fist at the sky when I realize they did let spectators in for a suggested $10 donation fee. But there’s always next year. We can wear our OSU gear and cheer on the bearded and mustachioed contenders. Treat them all to a round of giant pretzels, then shamelessly start a conga line that ends in the Ohio State band “Script Ohio.” The most bearded member of the room (not it!) can high-kick-strut over to the “i” and dot it. And we’ll all raise a glass and shout, “Hairs to you!”

Your Turn: What’s the most fun sporting event you’ve ever attended?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

14 thoughts on “O-H-I-O and a Pint to Go”

  2. Do you have mo-vember in the USA? To support prostate carcinoma research, many people grow moustaches in November and seek sponsorship from the friends and family.

    Does your National Beard and Moustache Championship support prostate carcinoma research?

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    1. I’m not sure if the US does mo-vember or not. It looks like this National Beard and Mustache group mostly “promotes positive facial hair awareness”–but that would be an amazing opportunity to collab with a prostate carcinoma cause.

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  3. Scottish games, an annual event where men in kilts test their strength and skill, like the tabor toss, which is a telephone toss, and hammer toss, and others, and young ladies participating in Scottish dancing, including the one over the crossed swords. They even have sheepdog competitions.

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