The winners of the ninth annual Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist hosted in the biergarten on Saturday, Stephanie Strothmann and Roy Smith.
Jared Reedy | The Tribune
Dave Eggers with Knights of Columbus 1252 introduces former Seymour Fire Chief Brad Lucas to ceremoniously tap the keg of Spaten Oktoberfest and kick off the ninth annual Stein Hoist on Saturday afternoon.
Jared Reedy | The Tribune
Participants in the women’s Stein Hoist are pictured at the beginning of the competition during the Seymour Oktoberfest in the biergarten Saturday afternoon.
Jared Reedy | The Tribune
Roy Smith pictured mere moments before winning the men’s Stein Hoist during the Seymour Oktoberfest in the biergarten on Saturday afternoon.
Jared Reedy | The Tribune
The crowd raises their drinks in the biergarten on Saturday during the ninth annual Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist.
A typical man can usually last between 3 to 5 minutes in a stein hoist, while the average woman falls between the 1-to-3-minute range, according to the U.S. Steinholding Association.
Stephanie Strothmann’s performance at the ninth annual Seymour Oktoberfest Stein Hoist in the biergarten on Saturday did not comply with these statistics.
The 51-year-old Seymour woman earned her fifth consecutive victory in the women’s category with a time of 4:01, a little more than a minute below her previous year’s time of 5:14. Strothmann conquered both of her runners-up by more than 10 seconds, Jessica Busche having lasted 3:50 and Alexa Staley finishing a mere second before Busche at 3:49.
Roy Smith won the men’s category with a time of 3:27, besting the times of Rafael Sea and Cole Galyen, who finished with 3:22 and 3:19, respectively.
Former Seymour Fire Chief Brad Lucas was invited to serve as the honorary tapper of the keg, kicking off the competition. Dave Eggers with the Knights of Columbus Council 1252 of Seymour introduced Lucas to the enthusiastic crowd in the biergarten.
“Every year, we have an honorary person who has shown a lot of commitment to the community and [has put in] a lot of effort and time … and we have a very prime example of that today,” Eggers said. “Brad Lucas has been a fire chief and a fireman in his community for his entire life. He’s a retired chief and a kind city councilman. He continues to serve our community and continues to put forth aneffort to make sure all of us continue to live in the greatest city in the nation.”
The stein hoist was first introduced to Oktoberfest back in 2015. In the contest, participants must hold a full 1-liter beer stein (½ liter for the women’s division) with a straight arm in front of them. The contestant who holds up their stein for the longest time wins their division. If a participant bends their arm or spills any amount of beer, they are eliminated from the contest.
After earning her fifth consecutive win in the contest, Strothmann said she was in disbelief.
“It was very surprising,” Strothmann said. “It’s always exciting and it’s always a fun time. I was 46 when I started this thing and now I’m 51, so it’s like, ‘Oh, good Lord.’”
The stein hoist is operated by the Knights of Columbus Council 1252 of Seymour, which operates the biergarten each year during Oktoberfest. Proceeds from both go to local activities supported by the organization.