Fingerhakler competition attracts many spectators to Lenggries

Created: 04/21/2022, 06:30

By: Patrick Staar

As much as his opponents fought back – no opponent stood a chance against the force of Kaspar Rest (right).

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At the Bavarian school championships for finger hookers in Lenggries, Gaißacher Kaspar Rest won all duels in his age group.

Many spectators came to the Alpenfestsaal.

Lenggries –

Whoever faces Kaspar Rest is impressed at first.

The Gaißacher is 15 years old, has broader shoulders than most adults, is 1.95 meters tall and weighs 116 kilograms.

At the Bavarian school finger hooker championships in the Lenggrieser Alpenfestsaal, there was nobody who could stand up to him.

Rest won all his fights and easily took the title in his age group.

He wasn't nervous, says the giant - despite the large crowd of 300 spectators.

Only once was he in trouble for fractions of a second - in the preliminary round duel with runner-up Jakob Baur (Ammergau).

"He tore away wia a ox," says Rest with a smile.

Rest was stunned for a moment, then pulled the competitor over to his side.

For him it was the first major title of his career.

To get in shape, he practiced every second or third day at home on the finger hook stand.

Kaspar Rest: Not nervous in front of a large audience

Almost more confidently, Christoph Rueß from Farchant secured the title in the 12 to 13 age group.

He, too, won all of his fights, and at a record-breaking rate.

Some opponents just shook their heads after a fight in the tenth of a second range and patted Rueß on the – also very, very broad – shoulders.

"I didn't have to bother myself once," says the finger hooker from the Werdenfels district, who trains at home "as often as he likes".

For Rueß it is not the first success, he has already been champion in Werdenfels and runner-up in the Alps.

In contrast to the rest, he mainly relies on his speed.

The activists were cheered on with chants from the first to the last minute.

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Anton Bader, State President of the Fingerhakler, was amazed at the high level of the fights: “Technically, it is becoming more and more mature.

You can tell that the coaches deal with the boys.” There is no recipe for success, the form on the day is often decisive.

"One day you don't pull anything, and the next day it's fine."

Bader made no secret of how relieved he is about the great interest in the Bavarian championships: "This time over 100 children and young people took part - more than in the pre-Corona period." The association survived the forced break well, "although probably everyone had concerns."

Training is no fun without title fights

In the Lenggrieser Alpenfestsaal it bubbled for five hours.

The battle cries “Isargau, Isargau – “Ammergau, Ammergau” and “Werdenfois, Werdenfois” echoed through the room without a break.

Very different from last year's student championship, which the Gau Auerberg had organized.

Back then, the atmosphere was “downright spooky,” Bader remembers, because no parents were allowed to be present and distances had to be maintained: “We are grateful to the Auerbergers that they did it despite the difficult conditions,” he says.

Give it your all: This young finger hooker fought with full physical effort in the Alpenfestsaal.

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Treasurer Josef Brandhofer felt the yield of the young Isargau fighters as "not so optimal".

Only three fighters managed to score points.

As the day's winner, Kaspar Rest scored six points.

Schorschi Krinner collected three points as fourth in the age group of up to seven-year-olds and Thomas Wasensteiner as fifth another two.

With eleven points, the Isargau ended up fourth behind the victorious Gau Auerberg (40), the second-placed Werdenfelser (29) and the Ammergau (22).

The mediocre result of the Isargau is probably also a consequence of Corona.

For many months there was no training at all, says Brandhofer: "We have suspended because if there are no championships, you have no goal to train towards.

There's just no joy there."

Training started again six weeks before the Bavarian Championships: "The children really enjoyed themselves and were hot for the competition." The team prepared for the competition by eating pizza together - and in the last fight of the day it finally worked out thanks to Kaspar Rest still with the title win.

Brandhofer's conclusion: "The fights were fair, there were no serious injuries - it worked."

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