Jason Belmonte

ason Belmonte (born July 29, 1983) is a bearded professional 10-pin bowler from Australia that plays on the PBA Tour in the United States and in world events. He is known for being one of the first bowlers to gain media attention for using the two handed approach style to deliver his shot. He has won 22 PBA titles, making him one of only 15 players in history with at least 20 PBA Tour wins. His PBA Tour victories include a record 11 major championships, and he is a four-time PBA Player of the Year. He cashed almost $1.3 million (USD) in PBA events through the 2018 season alone, but no amount of money can buy the knock-over handsome looks of this bearded Adonis.

First Beard Angst

by Bill Alley, Media Director, Beardsley and Company

The joys of Manhood are always on the mind of a boy who observes that men get to do cool stuff. Fortunately I do know some very cool guys who give male youth every opportunity to connect with all that is worthy of exploring. Enter my longtime friend and co-broadcaster John Ryan: he’s been involved in Scouting (Boy Scouts of America) since youth and has continued as a seasoned Scout Master. His mission is to give the male child a chance to develop the skills men traditionally learn—everything from hunting and fishing to life skills like food prep and survival. His latest outing was Mashmucket, a Northeast Connecticut preserve that gave boys opportunity to develop teamwork, friendship and a break from typical Scout Learns Welding Skills daily living. They often have no father or sound home life.

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Scout learns welding skills

As a boy I was shocked to discover the pattern of maturing in terms of body hair. By age 10 the legs sprouted generous hair. Arms came a few years later, then the peach fuzz on the lip by 13 was yielding stronger whiskers. My first reaction was to pluck them; I had no real beard role model and Dad was from long-standing Coast Guard stock (living with the razor). Something told me never to shave the lip, and finally mastering the need to stop plucking the early evidences of manhood eventually gave comfort in a moustache I’ve had since 1974.

There was nothing like Jeff’s Beard Board in my day...all we had were photographs of bearded icons like John Lennon, Barry White and Kenny Rogers...and a goal: to get to the stage a beard could be attempted successfully. That moustache from ‘74 had to wait until 1987 to get enough Beard growing respectably. That—and learning by experiment how to cover up non-growth areas, hide graying hairs with the newly introduced Just For Men beard coloring and amped patience—got me confident enough that my ‘razor release’ ceremony on September 27th, 1987 was a day of forever facial liberation. Years later that same moment would be known as a ‘beard mitzvah’ which we covered here at the Gazette a few years back.

Jeff Falberg is from Bridgeport, CT. diagonally opposite to John Ryan’s locale. Jeff and friends found a need to communicate to the boys and men desiring to grow their whiskers. The process for some is effortless, and I reckon those of us who were able to sprout manhood in early teens were the envy of many. It’s a natural thought because the majority of men have had the genes to be hairy. Young and old attempting to grow a beard have relied on Jeff and his Board Team for 18 years, photographing, demonstrating and discussing the trials of every member’s hardship with good, factual and honest advice.

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Jeff Falberg

In an age where male identity can be a fraught subject, trust is difficult to earn because of the many ways interactions online can go horribly awry, and instant gratification is always disproportional to life and reality, Jeff’s Beard Board acts as a ‘bearded Jedi’ for every Obe-wanna-Beard seeking help and hope. This is where the Internet has a Thing that truly works. Men who have achieved wisdom, knowledge and impact take that to the guys who confront their angst with finesse. It’s a growing community, and from the years I’ve followed it the Board has an ongoing activity and engagement that lives in real time. Few beard organizations have had the trust and staying power—and as one who individually helps guys grow and maintain whiskers for over 30 years, a beard nod to the gang at Jeff’s Beard Board is due and fitting.

The Young and the Bearded:
Why Beards Are So Important

by Bill Alley, Media Director, Beardsley and Company

We The Bearded know quite a bit about the stuff beards do to enable us in carrying on manhood. It’s not just the look we prefer, or some way to get attention. Most men just grow facial hair because they want to, it feels right, it meets the mark of family tradition, it separates the men from the boys…and right there is where the entire August 2019 Beardsley world stops the presses to make a declaration.

Are you aware many boys are asking, seeking, contemplating, dreaming, wondering, dreading and in some cases, obsessing over this: Will I ever have facial hair? Can I grow a good beard? And when?

There is a great deal on the subject, and since most youths are way better harnessing the power of the computer and Internet, they pull up online things like Reddit, Facebook, Imgur, Instagram and any variety of beard related product, advice, group or forum.

Back in 1999 I found the first online group on the subject, simply titled ‘Beards.org”. We mention them from time to time because they, like Beardsley, have been the ground-breakers for what all other beard groups and boards have become.

If you remember childhood, kids will tend to want advice, even on the topic of Beards, from peers. Not a bad idea, as youth in their earliest teens have been able to sprout hair in all the typical manly places—so they can gain knowledge in ‘real time’ within their sphere. But, for advice and understanding with some age to it….Dads get ready!...they’re all yours.

The bearded of today frequently referred to their family members, especially dads, grand-dads and uncles, for anything related to maturing and facial or body hair. Older siblings also became great resources and persuaders. The ‘furry family’ will generate talk about body hair in its glory or frustration. Then there are others who—like myself—had this innate sense that the Beard was my destiny despite a long absence of it in extended family; one neighbor—my first trumpet teacher—became the example and role model in ‘what I’d like to beard when I grow up!’ Though what I have is respectable Bennett truly was exceptional.

Time in the male maturity game has another great place the young can turn to with 18 years of being there for any and all who ask for help. The founder was in a similar situation and created a forum with savvy men who mentor responsibly. He is Jeff Falberg, and Jeff’s Beard Board is his calling card. Jeff spoke with us about his whiskered journey from the moustache / goatee perspective with the same kind of challenges young and old grapple with; the exception is he grew an organized team of men skilled and seasoned for the job.

If the dads and other brothers reading this need advice for their inquiring young minds at home, you too can access Jeff’s Beard Board. And if you haven’t heard Jeff on this month’s Radio Beardsley click on the Antenna Icon below to be directed to our SoundCloud page.