When we think of the 1980s mullet hairstyle — business in the front, party in the back — it’s not hard to visualize Brian Bosworth, Rod Stewart, David Bowie or Patrick Swayze.
And when we think of Oklahoma waterfalls, we probably envision destinations like the cascade at Natural Falls State Park in West Siloam Springs or the Arbuckle Mountains’ Turner Falls, both at 77 feet high.
But if you live in Gore or go to school at Vian, the mullet and an Oklahoma waterfall are synonymous with 13-yearold eighth grader Logan Lease.
“To some, it may look like just some goofy haircut,” Lease writes on a Facebook post of his mother, Nicole. “But to me and my family, it’s a reflection of the young man I’ve become. It tells a story that only a few will understand. So with that said, I’d like to share it with you.
“I’m a young man who loves to fish, respects the hunt of wildlife, embraces the early morning hunt in a duck blind, respects my elders, attends church with my mother, protects the ones I call friends and, lastly, wears my mullet like a champ.”
Lease, who is in the Top 10 in online voting for the teen division of the USA Mullet Championships, has now sported the distinctive hairstyle for the past two years, and has no intention of cutting his hair anytime soon. (He found out about the competition from his mother, who saw it on social media.)
A year ago when he competed in the kids division, Lease said he would not cut his hair, hoping to compete again this year, which has paid off for him making the finals.
And if he wins this year’s $1,000 top prize, he plans to donate a portion of his winnings to his church. Secondand third-place finishers receive $750 and $500, respectively.
Having made it through the preliminary round of voting against more than 100 other mullet-wearers, Lease has a final chance from Aug. 7-11 to claim the national mullet crown.
Lease says family and friends “think it’s cool” that he wears a mullet, which is at least one reason he doesn’t plan on losing the party in the back.
While he can’t pinpoint any advantages or disadvantages to wearing a mullet, he says the hairstyle does set him apart from others. And there are those occasions when he’s been mistaken from the back as a girl — until his deep voice reveals it’s just a mullet.
So when school starts at Vian on Aug. 17, Lease may be joining his classmates as a national champion, which is a reason for not only a party in the back, but a party all around.
