At the ninth annual Big Bear Lake Maifest on Saturday, two national steinholding records were smashed, catapulting the alpine hamlet into the limelight of this rapidly expanding competitive activity.
By holding a full beer stein with his arm extended for 25 minutes and 29 seconds, Bob Shalak of Wrightstown, New Jersey, set a new men’s U.S. record.
According to the organizers, that time shattered Big Bear’s local record of 18:33, which had stood since 1995, and surpassed the previous national record of 23:40.
Celeste Seiler-Zlatich, a native of Crestline, also created records in the women’s division with a timing of 6 minutes and 54 seconds. At the Hofbräu Masskrugstemmen National Championships in New York City in 2022, the previous national record was set at 6:10.
Both winners received full scholarships to attend this fall’s U.S. finals in New York.
“We’re super excited to have two national records broken at our Maifest qualifiers,” Big Bear Lake Maifest Director Monica Marini stated. “These record-breakers have put Big Bear Lake on the national steinholding map!”
Competitors are challenged by Steinholding, also known as Masskrugstemmen, to hold an entire liter of beer with their arm outstretched without letting it fall or spill. A full stein weighs around five pounds, which might not seem like much, but as time passes, the weight is increasingly intolerable.
The Hofbräu Masskrugstemmen National Finals are the annual culmination of the expanding national tournament. Germany is visited by the top male and female finishers.
As ardent supporters of Steinholding, Shalak and his spouse Chantelle traveled from New Jersey especially to participate at Big Bear. He commended the friendly environment of the event, stating that it was considerably better than prior East Coast qualifiers they had been to.
“We’ve been to Boston, New York, and Philly, and none of those events were as welcoming and fun as Big Bear Lake,” Shalak stated.
Seiler-Zlatich, who finished fourth in last year’s national championships, expressed her excitement about going back to New York with more grit and experience.
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“I’m over-the-moon excited and so honored to represent Big Bear Lake Maifest and Oktoberfest and our beautiful mountain communities once again,” she stated.
On September 20, the national finals will be held.
Similar to the more well-known Oktoberfest, Maifest commemorates the arrival of spring. Big Bear Lake Maifest has been an official U.S. Steinholding Championship qualifying location for the past two years.
The Maifest celebration this year took place over Memorial Day weekend and the weekend after, from May 30 to June 1.
