50th Baar Evening Alpine Wrestling event

The Alpine wrestling competition that will be held on the Dorfmattwiese meadow in Baar on Friday, 26th June, will not only focus on victory, but also on live prizes and a special belt. And one person will also have to pay up on a bet.
 

Daniel Toggenburger is a man with a sense of humour. When it came to organising the live prizes for the 50th Baarer Abendschwingen (Baar Alpine Wrestling Evening event), he decided to acquire a Toggenburg goat. No sooner said than done. Former top Alpine wrestler Martin Grab, who breeds this breed with his wife, arrived in Buonas for the sponsors' reception accompanied by the Toggenburg goat "Wanja."

The contact was made by the well-connected Buonas resident Hansruedi Schneider. He had a special motivation for organising the goat, explained Daniel Toggenburger: "My daughter Viola bet Hansruedi that he wouldn't be able to pull it off." She lost the bet. Now she "gets" to lead the goat around the festival grounds on the Dorfmattwiese meadow during the evening wrestling event on June 26th, dressed in traditional costume.

The goat is one of three live prizes. The organisers, led by Daniel Toggenburger, also received a Jersey cow from Martin Meierhans and a Freiberger foal from Irene and Roland Betschart. Furthermore, to mark the anniversary, they are giving each wrestler, as well as the judges and helpers, a belt with a buckle bearing the inscription "50. Abigschwinge Baar” (50th Evening Wrestling Baar) and the logo of the Central Switzerland Wrestling Association (Innerschweizer Schwingerverband). This comes at a price. But Alpine wrestlers can typically rely on a large network of supporters, and the costs for producing the belts were thereby covered by donations.

Namesakes: Alpine Wrestling organisation committee president Daniel Toggenburger with a Toggenburg goat.       
Three live prizes await the wrestlers         Photos: Patrick Hürlimann
 

Thanks to contacts, the organisation committee also managed to secure the well-known pop singer Marc Pircher for several performances that evening. For some, Marc Pircher is the reason to travel to Baar for the evening wrestling event, as Daniel Toggenburger observed: "A woman from Alsace called to ask exactly when he would be singing, so that she wouldn't miss his performance," he said.

Alpine wrestling champion Marcel Bieri will be there
Fans of Marc Pircher should get their money's worth around 9 pm – during the intermission between the opening bout at 7 pm and the final bout at 11 pm. Several well-known Alpine wrestlers from the canton of Zug have registered, including Marcel Bieri from Edlibach, Roland Reichmuth from Cham, Christian Bucher from Unterägeri, and Beat Suter from Walchwil. The field of participants is limited to 90 wrestlers.

In addition to further musical performances, an award ceremony will also be part of the programme: Paul Langenegger's contributions to Alpine wrestling will be officially recognised. The energetic former Baar municipal councillor (Gemeinderat) has been involved in the sport for decades, and likes to mention that he was the "spiritual father" of the 2019 Federal Alpine Wrestling Festival (Eidgenössischen) in Zug.

An instructive time
Daniel Toggenburger was also involved at that time, as head of human resources in the sports sector. Over the years, he has taken on various roles at Alpine wrestling events, including several cantonal festivals. He has also learned how to assert himself. "In Alpine wrestling, everyone has an opinion: there's a lot of discussion. But once the boss has made a decision, it's respected, even if it later turns out to be wrong," he says.

Remarkably, Daniel Toggenburger has never wrestled himself, but was a passionate ice hockey player. Acquaintances from Inwil introduced him to the sport. "I was immediately impressed by the camaraderie." “If someone says they need help, 30 people are ready and waiting the next day – that’s unique,” says the caretaker of the Wiesental school in Baar.

His successor as head of the evening wrestling event will be Aldo Rohrer from Allenwinden. Daniel Toggenburger will assist him with sponsorship during the initial period. “It’s a matter of honour,” he says.
 

More information about the evening Alpine wrestling event can be found (in German) on
https://schwingclubzug.ch/abendschwingen-baar