A large crowd gathered under the tent at the Seymour Oktoberfest biergarten Saturday afternoon.

The cheering began as glasses full of beer sat on tables lined next to each other and names of participants for the 2018 Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist were read.

Before long, the competition began and the crowd was roaring, shouting names and cheering on friends as they witnessed a growing spectacle at the annual festival.

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The stein hoist began a few years ago and includes 24 men and women that compete in separate competitions to see who can hold a full glass of beer the longest.

Women use a half-liter glass, while men use a full liter.

Participants have to keep their body straight and not lean, can only use one arm, hold their thumb away from the handle and hold their arm forward, parallel to the ground.

“You use muscles you didn’t even know you had,” said Solomon Rust, one of the event’s organizers. Rust, who attends Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, every other year, said the competition is more of an American novelty than German tradition.

“It’s an American Oktoberfest tradition,” he said.

To give the tradition a more German feel, the competition uses Spaten Oktoberfest beer, which is brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in Munich, Germany.

The beer, which is an amber-colored sweet lager, is produced in the spring and sold in autumn to celebrate Oktoberfest.

“That’s a German beer they’re using, so that gives it a little more traditional feel,” Rust said.

A few minutes into the competition, participants tire, their glass begins to shake back and forth, causing the beer to slosh around the glass and sometimes spill.

Once the beer begins to spill, the contestant is eliminated.

“You can’t spill the beer, that’s always the rule,” Rust said.

Rust and Josh Lakins, who help organize the event, explained the rules before the competition began and served as judges when a competitor had to drop their glass.

Each participant was given their stein as a keepsake and were given goodies like shirts, sunglasses and other items.

Jess Goodwin won the women’s division, holding the half-liter glass for 4:46, edging out Michelle Nichter, who held on for 4:37 and Tara Johnson, who recorded a 4:31.

Goodwin said she practiced for weeks leading up to the 2017 competition but was one of the first eliminated.

This year, she was an alternate and didn’t know if she would compete until Thursday, so she didn’t put in any preparation and ended up winning.

“I guess I’ve been leaf blowing and doing yard work; maybe that was it,” she said.

As a winner, she received a large Spaten boot that included a sock hat, t-shirt, koozies, necklaces and other items.

Matt Vieck won the men’s division and gave a speech that showed the pride of taking home the boot trophy.

“It’s a proud moment, and I’d like to thank my family, friends and all that supported me, because I wouldn’t be here without them,” he said with a laugh. Vieck held on to the liter for 3:36, while Terry Miller recorded a time of 3:35 and Sean Hildreth a 3:17.

Vieck said he didn’t train but does exercise and said it was difficult considering the weight of the glass and how participants have to hold it.

“Three minutes isn’t very long, but when you’re holding a stein full, it feels like it’s forever,” he said.

Vieck competed last year, but finished fifth.

“It’s a mental game,” he said. “Once you start shaking you have to start thinking of something else.”

Vieck said his strategy was to keep his mind away from the task and attempt to focus on something else.

“I was thinking of anything else and looking at people’s heads,” he said. “It got more difficult when people started chanting my name.”

Ali Craig and Randall Rust both competed in the women’s competition. They stood side-by-side and were dressed in traditional German attire that would be found at the original Oktoberfest in Munich.

Craig was disappointed she was the first eliminated, but said her outfit made up for it.

“I may lose, but at least I look the best,” she said with a laugh following the competition.

Randall Rust said she has been to the Oktoberfest in Munich before, where she purchased the dirndel.

“I just love my dirndel,” she said, adding it was difficult to compete. “You can’t shake, that makes it really hard, because you can’t drop your elbow.”

The tradition of the Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist competition began a few years ago when Solomon Rust’s brother, David, was in charge of organizing the biergarten.

It was well attended the first year with little promotion, Rust said, and it has grown ever since.

“It’s really turned into a tradition pretty quickly,” he said.

And with its popularity and participation, it looks as though the tradition is just beginning.

“For me, the biggest thing is we are able to do something to bring people together in a fun, traditional way,” Rust said. “This is anything but boring.”

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Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist winners

Women’s, half-liter competition

1. Jess Goodwin, 4:46

2. Michelle Nichter, 4:37

3. Tara Johnson, 4:31

Men’s, liter competition

1. Matt Vieck, 3:36

2. Terry Miller, 3:35

3. Sean Hildreth, 3:17

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