The following excerpt is from the American Sokol Organization's website (www.american-sokol.org):

 

SOKOL is Czech for falcon. SOKOL is English for a great group of people bonded by a common ethnicity, heritage or interest. SOKOL has been in the United States since 1865 and has spread from coast to coast and from the northern border to the southern.

 

Founded in 1862 in the Czech lands which later became Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), the SOKOL organization continues today in the United States as a vital, thriving entity. Based on founder Dr. Miroslav Tyrs' credo of "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body"; the member units of the American Sokol offer physical training in gymnastics and other athletics, as well as providing cultural awareness and family oriented activities. Sokol's first unit in America was started in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1865.

 

If you are looking for a safe place for children to learn personal discipline, physical fitness and gymnastic skills, song and dance, SOKOL is ready and waiting for them. SOKOL units offer gym classes and social activities for teenagers, too! Still feeling competitive in your 20's, 40's or 60's? SOKOL has a place for you, too! Instead of going over the hill, you can be going over the vault.SOKOL activities vary from unit to unit. Most offer a wide range of classes in the gym and some have dance, twirling or language classes. SOKOL units sponsor dance groups, volleyball teams, gym classes, dinners, dances and other activities for adults. No one is too old for SOKOL.