Jaxson Finken, 9, had no idea that the mullet haircut existed until he saw his friend sporting the look. It was then that he knew he had to try it for himself. When he made the decision he didn’t know he would one day be in a mullet competition.
“I just loved that he (Jaxson’s friend) had long hair and he was a boy. I thought it was really cool that you could do that and also I had never known about that haircut,” Finken said.
Finken’s stepmother, Priscilla Hale, took photos of Finken’s mullet as it grew out. She posted the photos on social media using a variety of mullet-related hashtags when one popped up, #mulletchampionship.
Intrigued by the hashtag, Hale clicked on it to see where it led. She discovered an annual mullet competition that included categories for kids to compete. Amused at what she found, she shared the information with Finken who lit up with excitement. He was all in.
“We found out about the mullet competition and I was surprised and really wanted to enter it,” Finken said.
The 2023 USA Mullet Championship hosts an online platform where anyone with a mullet can register and compete. The contest offers prize money for its winners but more importantly, it raises money for a charity. This year the competition is sending 100% of its donations to support Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors. So far donations have reached nearly $86,000.
“It’s just a fun competition and the main purpose of it is to raise money for a nonprofit,” Hale said. “We come from a military family so the fact that this is helping wounded veterans really resonated with us.”
When Hale first found the competition, it was already too late for Finken to join in 2022. However, he was set on growing out his mullet to compete in the 2023 competition. Finken is the only competitor from Colorado.
Finken’s mullet is shaped in a classic way. He combes the shorter front to the side, the sides of his head are shaved and he lets the back grow long and straight. Others in the competition shave details on the sides and play with other forms of cutting their mullets.
While Finken signed up for fun, he has also made it to the second round of three. In the first round, he competed against 276 other kids his age. In round two, he will compete against 100.
The first round depended only on online votes by the community. Voting is still a major part of round two, however, a group of judges will also weigh in. Round two began on Thursday and will end at the end of the day on Monday.
“He is so excited to compete, but what his dad and I are most proud of was our boy saw what he wanted, committed to what he wanted, and now is going to move forward and compete for best kids mullet! We are beyond proud of his level of commitment and he is ready to showcase his hair for all the nation to see,” stated Finken’s parents on his competition website.
