Hayden 9-year-old a contestant in USA Mullet Championships

Crazy in the front, party in the back.

That's not just Sawyer Libby's hair style — it's his personal philosophy.

“I feel like the mullet is like a big part of my whole life,” Sawyer said Monday.

The Hayden 9-year-old is a contestant in the USA Mullet Championship Kids Contest, a competition hunting for the most epic hairdos across the country.

Sawyer's mullet journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He never liked getting haircuts," said his mom, Katie Libby. "As soon as COVID started and they had to be home from school he was like, 'I’m not getting a haircut.'"

As Sawyer wrote in his contest biography, this is when his rattail was born.

"Then people started questioning me if I was going to grow a mullet from my rattail," he wrote. "Then I knew it was my destiny to grow a mullet. I never wanted to get a haircut again. Everywhere we went, people would tell me how cool my mullet was and that it fit my personality perfectly. I was so happy I grew my mullet.”

The coiffure's catchphrase, "business in the front, party in the back," reflects the fun and easygoing persona that accompanies the style, which was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. A few notable celebrities to rock the 'do were country star Billy Ray Cyrus, Hollywood heartthrobs Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, and tennis champ Andre Agassi. Numerous TV and film characters have also built upon the mullet's legacy, including Danny McBride's Kenny Powers in "Eastbound and Down" and David Spade's eponymous "Joe Dirt." 

Sawyer, an incoming Skyway Elementary School fourth grader, said his friends and teachers are fond of his bold hair choice.

"They talk about it all the time," he said. "Some of them even want to grow a mullet now."

The first round of voting for the digital Mullet Champ Kids Contest Initial Showdown closes today. Categories are Lil Nuggets, ages 0-4; Mid Mullets, ages 5-7; and Big Kids, ages 8-12. More than 30 kids will advance to Round 2 in each age category. Voting for the Round 2 Top 100 Competition will be July 24-30. The Final Round Top 25 Showdown will be Aug. 14-21. Kids Mullet Champions will be announced Aug. 28.

Voting for the adults contest coincides with the youth contest. Teen contest voting closes today with final voting Aug. 14-21 and winners announced Aug. 28.

"If I don’t win this year, I’m going to try it again next year," Sawyer said. "For people around the world, it would be cool for them to see my mullet. Maybe it would make them want to get a mullet."

All proceeds from the contests will support Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors, an Arizona-based nonprofit foundation that provides mortgage-free homes tailored to the needs of combat-wounded veterans.

"We have a lot of military background in our family," Libby said. "We like doing things to support our veterans."

Champion belts, GoPro cameras and cash prizes will be awarded to mullet contest winners. In 2022, then-3-year-old Ridge Petersen from Athol was a top 25 finalist in the national kids contest.

Visit mulletchamp.com to vote for Sawyer and see more mullets rocked across the USA.

    Sawyer Libby, 9, of Hayden, is a hairdo hopeful in the 2024 USA Mullet Championships Kids Contest. Visit mulletchamp.com for details.