Elmhurst’s whiskered woodwind whirlwind vies for prestigious beard award

Bearded Elmhurst ice skater Matt Thomas is competing in a national talent competition for fellas with facial hair. Screenshot via Youtube

By Rachel Vick

A shaggy sax-playing figure skater from Elmhurst is vying for the top prize in the first-ever “Most Talented Beard in America” contest.

Matt Thomas is a multitasking extraordinaire, combining his talents for music and movement as an ice skating saxophonist. 

Thomas’ entry video showcases his ability to speed skate, figure skate and play the sax while gliding gracefully along the ice. He brought viewers along to the Long Island City piers to showcase his rollerskating — which Thomas can also do while performing smooth jazz.

If that’s not enough, he also performs as an ice skating Santa Claus at Rockefeller Center.

“I feel really honored to be representing Queens as one of the top 10 beards in America,”  Thomas said. “I feel like what I brought to the competition was a diversity of talent, which is representative of what Queens is about. It’s one of the most diverse counties in the world.”

The public can vote for their favorite “talented beard” and pick the winner of a $20,000 prize from grooming company Wahl.

“We created this contest to spread positivity and celebrate all of the bearded guys out there — many of whom are newly whiskered since quarantine earlier this year,” said Steven Yde, Wahl’s division vice president. “We were blown away by the talent, and it was incredibly hard narrowing down the finalists.”