Learning how to wrestle “Schwingen”-style on the Polyterrasse
The ASVZ is marking its 75th anniversary by bringing a traditional Swiss sport to ETH Zurich, giving people the chance to enter the sawdust arena and try to wrestle their opponents to the ground.
The Kilchberger Schwinget wrestling festival held a few days ago has once again shown that “Schwingen” – a traditional Swiss form of wrestling – continues to attract interest and is proving popular not just in rural areas, but in towns and cities too. Now the Academic Sports Association Zurich (ASVZ) is bringing the sport of “Schwingen” to ETH Zurich: from 24 to 26 September, to mark its 75th anniversary, the ASVZ is organising the “Schwinget @ Polyterrasse” – with guests including “King of the Schwingers” Arnold “N?ldi” Forrer. The event ist open for everyone.
For three days, the area in front of ETH’s Main Building will be dedicated to the traditional Swiss style of wrestling, or “Hosenlupf” (“Breeches-lifting”) as it is known in Swiss German. Schwingklub Zürich, a local Swiss wrestling club, will be offering training sessions on the first evening, giving people the chance to enter the sawdust arena themselves and put their wrestling skills to the test.
Those who dare can also sign up for the students’ wrestling tournament on Friday afternoon. And this contest is not just open to strong, burly men – women are welcome to take part too. “If enough female participants enter, we will create a separate women’s category,” says Silvana Ulber from the ASVZ. Otherwise the women will compete with the men.
The “Bad boys” show how it’s done
After the students’ tournament, N?ldi Forrer and three champion Swiss wrestlers – Adi Laimbacher, Urban G?tte and Christoph Bieri – will showcase their sport and offer tips on how to be a successful “Schwinger”, with throws such as the “Brienzer”, the “Hüfter” and the “Bur”.
The highlight of the event will be a demonstration by these four “B?sen” (“Bad boys”), as the top traditional Swiss wrestlers are known. This will involve the contestants battling each other in five-minute bouts, surrounded by flag-wavers, alpenhorn-blowers and yodellers.
A new logo for the ASVZ
Since the start of the autumn semester, the ASVZ has boasted a new look. Its 20-year-old logo has been replaced with a new one, the winning design from a competition in which students and any other interested people had the chance to take part. More than 100 designs were entered and, once the judging panel had picked out their favourites, the designers of the shortlisted logos were given coaching by the Winterthur-based agency Partner & Partner before the final winner was chosen. The winning logo was designed by former sports student Cécile Gmünder.