Steinstossen is the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

variant of stone put, a competition in throwing a heavy stone. Practiced among the alpine population since prehistoric times, it is recorded to have taken place in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS) ...

in the 13th century. During the 15th century, it is frequently recorded to have been practiced alongside the ''

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shootin ...

e'' of the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy ( Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...

. It is also central to the

Unspunnenfest Unspunnenfest is a festival held in the town of Interlaken, Switzerland, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle, in the Bernese Alps, approximately once every twelve years, most recently in 2017. The festival highlights traditional Swiss culture ...

, first held in 1805, with its symbol the 83.5 kg Unspunnenstein. Stones used at festivals in Switzerland are of varying sizes and weights, but usually are not much over 50 kg.

Germany

In 1860, Steinstossen was introduced as a track-and-field discipline in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, retaining the name in spite of the stone being replaced by a 15 kg block of iron.

United States

Within the United States, the

Ohio Swiss Festival Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

in Sugarcreek has the distinction of the longest running competition, having run annually since 1956. Steinstossen at the Toledo German-American Festival began in 1989. The competition is scheduled for a two-hour period beginning at 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday at the annual German-American Festival. Contestants in the Men's division of the Steinstossen hurl a huge stone weighing 138 pounds during two-hour periods beginning at 3:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Contestants begin on a 20-foot runway, hurling the rock into a sand pit. The winners at each session win prizes. The record holder for 21 years was Jud Logan of North Canton, Ohio with a throw of 14 feet 4 inches set at the Sugarcreek event. That record was broken by Beaux Lenarz in 2005 with a throw of 14 feet 6 inches. Kevin Marx of Toledo in 2009 had a throw of 15 feet 3½ inches at the German-American Festival - a different rock is used at this festival than is used at the Sugarcreek event so the two cannot be compared, even though both rocks weigh the same. There is also a women's division of the Steinstossen, using a 75-pound stone. The women's record at the German-American Festival in 2007 by Becky Ball of Marblehead is 12 feet, 11 inches.

References

{{strength Sports Swiss folklore Individual sports Sports originating in Switzerland Throwing sports

Germany

United States

See also

References