Zlot Information

We are bringing together the Youth of the Polish Falcons of America from around the country.  They will be coming from Milwaukee, WI; St. Louis, MO;Cicero, IL; Detroit, MI; Ansonia, CT; Middletown, CT; Pittsfield, MA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Buffalo, NY.   We will be havingcompetitions in Drill routines, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, track and field, and swimming.  We will also be visiting the Polish Embassy, as well as a sight-seeing tour of Washinton D.C!

This year’s Zlot is going to be held at Gallaudet University, just minutes down the road from downtown D.C.  We are loooking forward to seeing you there.

From its beginnings, Polish identity has been an important part of the mission and activities of the Polish Falcons of America.

For hundreds of years, Poland was one of the most powerful countries in all of Europe and the largestcountry in Europe.  This power was seen as a threat to its neighbors–the empires of Russia, Prussia and Austria. In the late 1700s Poland was invaded, itsvastterritory divided, and its culture and language suppressed.  This occupation was brutal, and lasted over 120 years. The Poles fought back and tried many times to revolt against their oppressors to get back their independence.

The first Polish Falcon organization was created in Poland four years after the Poles were defeated in the January Uprising of 1863.   Devoted to physical fitness and physical education, the Polish Falcons adopted the Latin saying “mens sana in corpore sano,” or a sound mind in a sound body  (“w zdrowym ciele zdrowy duch.”)  The purpose was to “bring back” the Polish nation through disciplined physical fitness, preparing the nation for eventual independence. In this spirit, the first Falcon Nest in the United States was organized in Chicago, Illinois in 1887.  In 1912, the National Headquarters was moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is centrally located between the two largest centers of Polish American communities of New York and Chicago.  The Polish Patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who fought for both the independence of Poland and the United States, was made the patron of the Polish Falcons.

The vision of a free Poland was close to the hearts of the early Falcon organization.  By 1917, over 25,000 young Polish American men were trained by the Polish Falcons to serve in a proposed Polish military force.  During World War I, these Falcon-trained troops became the core of the Polish-American army in France and later, the main part of the Polish Army.   At the Polish Falcons Convention held in Pittsburgh on April 3, 1917, the famous pianist and future premier of newly independent Poland, Ignacy Paderewski, gave a rousing speech that sparked the recruitment of a Polish Army in the United States to fight for the Western Allies against Germany.  These Falcon trained troops fought in the famous “Blue Army” under the leadership of General Jozef Haller. After the end of World War I in 1918, Poland finally was a free country again. However, Poland was again attacked by the fierce Bolshevik Red Army of the Soviet Union. The same troops that fought in World War I defeated the Bolsheviks and Polish independence was safe.

With Poland now a free country, the Polish Falcons of America could turn its attention to helping its Members in the United States. It was a difficult time for Polish immigrants as they settled in the New Country in the early 1900s. Working conditions were harsh and often dangerous. People had to work long hours with little pay. If the head of the house died in an accident at work or was hurt badly, the surviving family members often faced poverty. There was no public welfare, social security and not very many recreational activities for people, especially for younger children.

The Polish Falcons of America addressed these problems by offering programs and activities for Polish-American community. Not only were these programs important they did not cost a lot of money.  They were also the first Polish-American organization to allow women to join as Members. The Falcons also offered recreational activities for Falcon young Members.  With all of these ways to help Members, the Falcons have always remained loyal to their Polish heritage while providing important support for the good of Polish-American families. Today, the Polish Falcons offers many benefits, insurance services, physical education programs and cultural activities to over 23,000 Members throughout the United States.