English and economics teacher Savva Belov, 23, holds a stein during Oktoberfest on Oct. 8 on the Central Library mall. Belov said he always wanted to try the German tradition of steinholding.
Just outside the Central Library, underneath blue and white checkered pennant flags, Oktoberfest was in full swing. Polka music filled the air with the smell of pretzels as attendees played games.
Oktoberfest is a German festival. On Thursday, EXCEL Campus Activities hosted the cultural tradition, which featured themed games and competitions.
Many enjoyed the German festival, including EXCEL programming director Geraldine Todorov.
“What I wanted to do was bring that German culture to campus,” Todorov said.
She said the tradition originally started as a wedding.
“The people enjoyed the festival so much that they brought it back every year,” Todorov said.
History junior Caroline Ocampo throws a dart during Oktoberfest on Oct. 8 on the Central Library mall. Ocampo said she learned more about German music through the event.
Attendees lined up for giant cup pong, archery, magnetic balloon darts and food.
The event that captured many attendees’ attention was the steinholding competition.
Steinholding is a traditional German game of endurance. Participants take a full beer stein and hold it up with a straight arm. If the arm drops even a little, that person is eliminated. This goes on until there is one left standing.
While most of the tradition remained the same during the event, the beer steins were filled with root beer to follow UTA’s drug and alcohol policy.
Any competition needs a judge, and EXCEL programming director Paola Esparza was up to the task.
“We had to go based on how straight their arm was,” she said. “If they were tilting or the slightest movement down.”
Attendees gather during Oktoberfest on Oct. 8 on the Central Library mall. Free food, drinks and games were provided.
The competition drew in many eager participants. In the first round, the winner was Tobin Gatlin, a civil engineering major, who said he was proud of his victory.
“I’ve been wanting a beer stein for a while to win at an Oktoberfest,” Gatlin said. “My dad has like six of them, so this is a great deal for me.”
Gatlin and other competitors said the hardest part was keeping the heavy mug straight.
“My hand was numb, but my bicep was hurting the whole entire time,” he said.
Contestants get ready to participate in steinholding during Oktoberfest on Oct. 8 on the Central Library mall. The contestants had to hold an arm out straight for as long as possible to win.
As each round passed, another challenge appeared: the root beer began attracting bees, which made the competition harder, especially for Will Munson, a hospitality management and real estate major.
”The bee that was attacking me on my right arm, and then my hands started to get a little sweaty, so then I kind of felt the cup slipping,” Munson said.
Despite the curious bee, Munson won the final round of the competition.
Todorov said she wanted to bring more events like this in the future.
“I want to bring more culture to campus so that we have more awareness because we have so many international students,” she said.
@gabby_jean13