From the President s View

Transcription

1 (USPS ) PUBLICATION FOSTERING FRATERNAL, CULTURAL & PHYSICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES SINCE JULY 14, 1905 Entered as Second-Class Matter, February 7, 1980 at East Orange, New Jersey under the act of August 24, 1912, provided in Sec. 1103, Act of October 3, 1918 authorized July 3, 1918 From the President s View Labor Day has come and gone and fall is in full swing in western Pennsylvania as I write this article. Many interesting events have occurred since the publication of the last Sokol Times. Joseph Bielecki Our Sokol USA District sent five delegates to the GBU National Convention. The delegates were Joe Bielecki, Emil Trgala, Deborah Golden, Chris Yatchyshyn and Milan Kovac. Additionally, our entire Sokol USA District Board was invited as guests of the Mary and John Kamenitsky from Sokol USA convention and most of our District Board attended. The GBU Convention was an interesting experience and was much more streamlined than Sokol USA conventions. Many written materials, such as proposed by-law changes, are provided to the delegates far in advance of the convention. Additionally, written materials regarding all candidates for membership on the board of directors, consisting of resumes and responses to information questionnaires, are provided to each convention delegate in (Continued on Page 4) Jan Sopoci It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of Brother Jan Sopoci, Honorary Supreme Secretary of Sokol USA. Brother Sopoci s impact on the life of Sokol USA was profound due to his prudent fiscal strategy, forward thinking and strong leadership. There are no words to express our thanks to you, Brother Sopoci, and to your family for you love and dedication to Sokol USA. On behalf of the Officers of the Supreme Lodge and all the members of Sokol USA, we extend our sincerest condolences to you AnneMarie, Elena, Jan and all the members of the Sopoci family. We join you in your sorrow for his passing and in your joy for the life he lived. We send you to your rest with our sincere Sokol NaZdar! Rest in peace, Brother Jan. Further Merger Updates Sokol USA Board Members Nancy Shurina and Arthur Burkhardt At this time, every insured member should have received a Certificate of Assumption, which is a legal document and should be kept with your important papers and/or insurance papers. The Certificate of Assumption also provides the GBU certificate number assigned to your Sokol benefit certificate. Your certificate now has a prefix of 800 and your Sokol certificate number, minus any alphabet prefix. As an example, if you have a Sokol 20 payment life certificate which has a letter B followed by some numbers, and for illustrative purposes we will use B GBU has dropped the alphabet prefix and added 800 and thus your certificate number is now Again, the Certificate of Assumption is a very important document. During the last week of August and first week of September 2014, GBU began mailing the surplus distribution certificates. Please do not ignore the importance of this material. The large envelope contained quite a bit of information and a fully paid up single premium life certificate in your name. You do not owe any premium. The insurance certificate was a stapled document of multiple pages. On Page 3 of the certificate is listed your benefit value. This certificate is in addition to your Sokol benefit certificate. This insurance is not replacing your Sokol benefit as you now have at least two benefit certificates. This new GBU insurance certificate is numbered and the beginning number or prefix is 820. Another item enclosed in the folder was a form for designating or changing your (Continued on Page 2)

2 Page SOKOL TIMES official organ of the SLOVAK GYMNASTIC UNION SOKOL OF THE USA Sokol USA - District 4000 a Division of GBU Financial Life Published bi-monthly on the 2nd Thursday of the month SOKOL OFFICE: Telephone: (973) FAX (973) SOKOLUSAHQS@aol.com All communication for publication should be sent to Editor at P.O. Box 189, East Orange, NJ by the 22 nd of the previous month. Second Class postage paid in East Orange, NJ Annual Subscription for non-members is $10.00 FURTHER MERGER UPDATES (Continued from Page 1) beneficiary. We highly recommend that you complete a new beneficiary designation at this time. We also recommend you list every Sokol and GBU benefit certificate on the form. If you need assistance, please call the GBU customer service department and the telephone number is listed on the front of GBU folder. You may also call the Sokol office at GBU customer service and the Sokol office will gladly assist if needed. We recognize that some information may seem to be confusing or not as clear and concise as you want, however we are trying our best to assist and explain. Do not hesitate to contact the Sokol office if there are issues or questions. We are continuing our quest of seeking the correct address for many of our members. I sincerely thank the many lodge officers and members who have assisted in the project. At one point, we had over 1,000 members with either an incorrect or no address. Though that number has been reduced, we still have quite a bit of folks we can t find. Contact your lodge secretary or the Sokol office if you would like the listing of members in your lodge that we cannot locate. We will begin publishing the names of members we are trying to locate in the next issue of the Sokol Times. Nazdar! Milan S. Kovac Fraternal Secretary DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGED To the Milan Getting Scholarship From Sokol USA Lodge 39/40W $ In memory of our member and friend Brother Jan Sopoci From Milan S. Kovac $ In memory of Brother Jan Sopoci From Emil Trgala $ In memory of Brother Jan Sopoci From Deborah Golden $ In memory of Brother Jan Sopoci From Sokol Lodge 276, Pittsburgh, Pa. $ In memory of Harry Spath From Sokol USA Lodge 26 of Guttenberg, N.J. $25.00 In memory of Brother Jan Sopoci To the Sokol USA Gymnastic Fund From Sokol USA Lodge 26 of Guttenberg, N.J. $ In honor of all members From Sokol USA Lodge 15W, Binghamton, N.Y. $25.00 In memory of Stefanie Gentile GBU Financial Life A Member Owned, Not-for-Profit Insurance Provider 4254 Clairton Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA * info@gbu.org The University of Pittsburgh Pitt Student Slovak Club And Slovak Studies Program Present the 24 th Annual Slovak Heritage Festival Sunday, November 2, to 5 PM University of Pittsburgh (Oakland) Cathedral of Learning Commons Room FREE ADMISSION! Performing are: Jozef Ivaska, internationally renowned singer from Slovakia The Singing Revil ak Family of Bardejov, Slovakia Pittsburgh Slovakians PAS (Pittsburgh Area Slovaks) Slavjane Folk Ensemble Ben Sorenson on Fujara And others! Also featuring: Cultural Displays and Lectures Shop for Christmas: Slovak and East European import vendors Ethnic Food: Klobasa, halusky, holupki, pirohy and pastries Please donate cookies or pastries in support of this wonderful, free festival. Bring them to the pastry table in the Commons Room. For information, call Christine Metil at or Slavic@pitt.edu

3 SOKOL TIMES Page 3 Sokol USA District MCT Annual Meeting Sunday, October 26 ~ 1 PM Clarion Hotel Route 28 North, Exit 14 Do you know the average person gains 1-2 pounds over the holidays? Well WALK IT OFF!!! Sokol Healthy Heart Walking Club Reducing your stress level Controlling your weight Agenda: Election of Officers Lodge and District Reports RSVP: Return Form by October 10, 2014 Or contact Patricia A. Blistan at We trust all lodges will be represented! Nazdar! Patricia A. Blistan, Recording Secretary Benefits include: Lowering your risk of heart disease Controlling your blood pressure Sign up for Sokol s Healthy Heart Walking Club by sending your name, mailing address and home lodge to: Brandi Kovac 64 East 111 th St. Apt. #811 New York, NY OR BKKovac@aol.com You will receive a free Sokol pedometer and a Healthy Heart mileage chart. You are responsible for recording your mileage. Walk with fellow Sokol members, or on your own. Contact Brandi when you reach a milestone and get a reward! Milan Getting Scholarship Recipients Jacob P. Skovronek Editor s note: Jacob P. Skovronek is a member of Lodge 32, Boonton, N.J. First off, I am very honored to have been granted this scholarship and would like to thank the Milan Getting Scholarship Committee and all those who have donated. I have been involved in Sokol as far back as I can remember. Growing up, I practically lived at my Sokol hall between being in the gymnastics program, helping out with pancake breakfasts, Slovak dinners and Sokol picnics, or just hanging out there on Friday nights with my parents and friends. My main connection to Sokol was gymnastics. I was a gymnast there as far back as I can remember and would go to slets and competitions whenever they came up. My two favorite competitions were the one at Sokol Woodlands and TJ Hall. After many years of gymnastics, I regrettably had to stop when I was in middle school because wrestling became more of a priority. I also helped out wherever I could at fundraisers that we had, whether I had to wash dishes, help cook, set up for events, or bus tables. Some of my best memories as a child were made at Sokol on Friday nights hanging out with other kids in the game room or just relaxing talking to my parents, friends and others who were there. Now I am a senior at Monmouth University studying criminal justice. I m very involved on campus, including community service done in coordination with the school as well as on my own. I plan on partaking in other community service events to help improve the Monmouth County area. Jacob P. Skovronek I would like to once again thank the committee and look forward to staying involved with Sokol in the future. Christopher Fazekas During my freshman year at Fairfield University ( ), I received a 3.2 grade point average my first semester and a 3.7 grade point average in my second semester. This averages to a 3.4 grade point average. I participated in three different intramural sports teams and tried out for two club sports teams. I was part of the Orthodox Christians Club, I attended Socrates Café meetings, which is a philosophical debate club, and the Fairfield Investment Association. I was an active member of the Fairfield community during my freshman year, all while completing 27 credits and a spot on the Dean s List. I will aspire to become a more active member of this community as well as a better student this semester and in those to come later. Thank you for the award this year. STUDENT CONDUCTING SURVEY WPSCA was recently contacted by a student named Viktoria Kvetanova. She grew up in Slovakia and moved to Switzerland with her family at the age of 11. She is currently studying at the University of Zurich. As part of her English studies, Viktoria is conducting linguistic research about people of Slovak origins living in the United States. She wants to find people interested in participating in her research. Participation would require completing a short questionnaire. The study is anonymous and real names will not be used in the presentation of the research. If you are interested in participating, contact Viktoria at viktoria.kvetanova@access.uzh.ch.

4 Page 4 SOKOL TIMES From the President s View (Continued from Page 1) advance. It was evident that the delegates give great attention to all written materials which they receive in formulating their opinions. The convention provided overviews of the financial status and fraternal activities of GBU. Many committees had sessions addressing topical issues and made their report to the convention. It was very interesting to meet other district leaders and delegates and to make the acquaintance of GBU members from around the country. GBU is very interested in the activities and events occurring at the lodge level. GBU even has programs of reimbursement that can be applied for advertising or programming activities. Brother Kovac will be writing about these programs at length in future editions of the Sokol Times. It is important for all lodges to keep Brother Kovac updated as to their activities as this helps District Sokol USA with the various sharing programs that GBU offers to its districts. Early September saw the untimely passing of the comedienne Joan Rivers. She was famous for her brash and often outrageous jokes. However, over the Labor Day weekend, I saw a documentary about her which gave great insight into the less public aspects of her life. She was born in the 1920s to immigrants from Russia. She worked very hard and graduated from Barnard College with Phi Beta Kappa honors. In the documentary, she was interviewed in her luxurious Manhattan apartment and talked about her youth. She noted that in her old age she was very comfortable, well-off, lived in luxury, and had what seemed to the public to be a fairy tale life. As she put it, Life gave me a gold ring. She continued on to say that many people do not have such good opportunities or circumstances in their lives and she felt blessed. She went on to say that people should give back and do good deeds and charity and be very thankful for the gold ring that they receive in their lives. Joan Rivers gave vast amounts of money to charities, but also was very active for more than 25 years with a New York City charity, God s Love, We Deliver. This charity cooks and delivers meals to terminally ill people and their caregivers in New York City. Joan Rivers was not only on their Board of Directors, but she actively enjoyed helping prepare the meals and delivering them to the terminally ill recipient. Every year, she spent her Thanksgiving Day delivering holiday meals and sitting with the terminally ill. It was quite a different side of Joan Rivers. I encourage our members to be thankful for the gold rings (all the many blessings) we have received in our lives and to remember to give back to our communities. This can be done through any number of the wonderful charitable activities in which our local Sokol lodges are engaged. In closing, I wish to extend my personal condolences to the entire Sopoci family for the loss of their Dad, our Honorary Supreme Secretary, Jan Sopoci. He was a man of integrity and honor and most certainly proud of his Slovak and Sokol heritage. NAZDAR! Joseph Bielecki District President Sokol USA The entire District Sokol USA Board of Directors From left are Joseph Bielecki, President of District Sokol USA; David Pringle, GBU Board of Directors; Emil Trgala, Sokol USA; Mary and John Kamenitsky, Sokol USA; and Milan Kovac, Sokol USA. Pittsburgh-area gymnasts join Olympian to set cartwheel record Sokol USA Monessen Lodge 47/Falcon Gymnastics members pose with Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Gabby Douglas after participating in a record-breaking cartwheel attempt. Falcon Gymnastics was one of 14 Pittsburgh-area gymnastics clubs to participate in the event where 735 simultaneous cartwheels performed to break the old record of 428. Editor s note: This article is from USA Gymnastics. Gymnasts from 14 Pittsburgh-area gymnastics clubs, led by two-time Olympic gold-medalist Gabrielle Douglas, made history on Pittsburgh s Roberto Clemente Bridge when they set the record for simultaneous cartwheels at 735, smashing the previous world record of 482 that was set July 9, 2009, in Schothorst, Netherlands. Setting the world record was part of the city s Olympic Day celebration. The 14 Pittsburgh-area gymnastics clubs whose gymnasts set the world record are All Star Athletics & Gymnastics, Arcadia Gymnastics, Falcon Gymnastics, Gemini Gymnastics of Pittsburgh, Gym Dandy s, Gymkhana, Gymsport Athletic Center, Jewart s Gymnastics, Monaca Turners, Perfect 10 Gymnastics, Premier Gym and Cheer, Trinity Gymnastics, Ultimate Gymnastics and X-Cel Gymnastics. Pittsburgh s celebration was among the events taking place in more than 800 communities in the USA from June to celebrate Olympic Day in Olympic Day, created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, focuses on the Olympic values and ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship. In the United States, Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events that are feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences.

5 SOKOL TIMES Page 5 LODGE 114 ANNUAL CLAM BAKE Lodge 114 held its annual clam bake on Sunday, August 24 th at the National Sokol Inc. located at 155 Beekman Ave., Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. We started at noon with clam chowder followed by sausage and peppers, hamburgers, hot dogs and shrimp and concluded with a steak dinner. Clams and beer were available throughout the day. This menu was prepared by our head chef Brother Neil Martone, who was assisted by Brothers Sonny Battista, John Ballentoni and Josef Lukacovic. Our sporting events were horseshoes and shuffle board. Out of the eight teams competing in each, the winners were Brothers Neil Martone and Lenny Galfano in horseshoes and, for the second consecutive year, Brothers Earl Briggs and Jerry Naven in shuffle board. Aspecial thanks goes to the following committees of purchasing, preparing, sports and clean up. Also, a special thanks goes to Brother Hawkeye DiMasi for his help with all the events. Everyone enjoyed the day with excellent food, drinks, weather and friends. Nazdar Stephen Horecky Secretary Fall Activity Schedule Lodge 12 Central Jersey Classes resumed September 12, 2014, at Henderson s Gymnastic Academy in Edison, N.J. All ages welcome! Experienced Sokol instructors lead our classes for male and females. New gymnasts are warmly welcomed. For more information, contact Ellen Kovac at or ellenkovac@aol.com or Norah Valentin at or norajane@verizon.net. Lodge 32, Boonton, NJ Pine & Highland Fall Classes Tots Gymnastics Monday mornings: Nicole Boys Gymnastics Monday evenings: Eric Girls Gymnastics Tuesday evenings: Pat Special Needs Yoga Monday afternoons: Ed Bowling every other Saturday night: Dominos club - Monday evenings: the club First Annual Palmerton, Pa., Lodge 214 Golf Scramble Lodge 47, Monessen Falcon Gymnastics, Belle Vernon, Pa Recreational Gymnastics (ages 18 month and up) Tumbling Fitness Run Playtime with Parents Kung Fu Competitive Girls Gymnastics Competitive All Star Cheer Join us on September 20, 2014, for our Second Annual Carnival of Fitness celebrating National Gymnastics Day and the Right to Play. Lodge 103, Farrell, Pa. see Sokol Farrell on Facebook Slovak Home Teenage and children s classes Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Lodge 306, Chicago, Ill. Sokol Community Center 4855 North Elston Ave st Session Gymnastic classes started the week of September 15 Tots Friday Children Boys Monday Children Girls Tuesday and Wednesday Juniors Monday and Friday Adults Wednesday Upcoming Social Events Spaghetti Dinner October 11 Fall Festival Hody (Dinner/Dance) November 8 Annual Cartwheel-a-thon December 20

6 Page 6 SOKOL TIMES SHARE YOUR FAMILY EVENTS WITH YOUR SOKOL FAMILY The Sokol Times Social Page is a great way to keep up with your old and new friends! Share your families events with your Sokol family. We want to hear from you. Only news regarding members of our lodges will be printed. Complete one of the attached forms and mail the information and a photograph of clear quality to Sokol USA, 276 Prospect Street, P.O. Box 189, East Orange, NJ Information and photographs also may be ed to: SOKOLUSAHQS@aol.com ENGAGEMENTS, WEDDINGS & ANNIVERSARIES BIRTHDAYS PROMOTIONS, HONOR ROLLS & OTHER EVENTS NAMES: PHONE #: HOMETOWN: SOKOL LODGE: YEARS MARRIED (IF APPLICABLE): NAME: BIRTH DATE: AGE: PHONE #: HOMETOWN: SOKOL LODGE: NAME: PHONE #: HOMETOWN: SOKOL LODGE: EVENT: Photographs are not required, but they do add to the presentation. Please include a self addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your photograph returned.

7 SOKOL TIMES Page 7 Well Known Personalities in Slovak History Juraj Jánošík: The Slovak Robin Hood By Stephen J. Banjak Editor s note: This is the seventh part of an ongoing series about the Slovak people, history and culture. Whereas the Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest is a fictional character, the Slovak Robin Hood, Jaraj Jánošík, was a real person. In 1667, the Diet of Pressburg (Bratislava) recognized the descendants of the male line of the Hapsburg family as the rightful heirs of the Kingdom of Hungary, which also included Slovakia. The fate of common people during this time was intolerable. They could hardly provide a living for themselves and, as a consequence, were always at the mercy of their landlords. Their children had little hope of expecting a better future. It was during this period that Juraj Jánošík was born. Of all the popular characters in Slovak history, none is better known than this half real, half legendary bandit hero. Jánošík's story is laid largely in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. He was born in Terchová in the Trenčín District in the year 1688, and was the son of peasants. As legend goes, Jánošík's father was beaten by the overseer of the estate for not working upon the death of his wife. After the father died from the beating, Jánošík gave a beating to the overseer and went into the mountains to hide. But, the most likely story is that Jánošík first fought with the Kuruc insurgents when he was 15 years old. After the lost Battle of Trenčín, Jánošík was recruited by the Habsburg army. As a young prison officer in Bytča, he helped the imprisoned Tomáš Uhorčík escape. They created a forest robber group and Jánošík became their leader at the age of 23. They were active mostly in northwestern Slovakia, around the Váh River between Važec and Východná, but the territory of their activity extended also to other parts of Slovakia, as well as to Poland and Moravia. Most of their victims were rich merchants. Under Jánošík's leadership, the group was exceptionally chivalrous. They did not kill any of the robbed victims and even helped an accidentally injured priest. They are also said to share their loot with the poor and this part of the legend may be based on the facts too. His three-cornered piece of note paper with the name "Jánošík" written across it soon caused fear among the oppressors. A bounty was placed on his head, but his cleverness and swiftness caused the legend to be born Jánošík was captured in the fall of 1712 and detained at the Mansion of Hrachov, but was released soon afterward. Living undercover in Klenovec at that time, he was captured again in spring of 1713 in a pub run by Tomáš Uhorčík. According to a widespread legend, Jánošík was betrayed by a woman and was caught after slipping on spilled peas, thrown in his way by a treacherous old lady. Jánošík was imprisoned and tried in Liptovský Mikuláš. His trial took place on March 16 and 17, 1713, when he was sentenced to death. The date of his execution was not recorded, but it was customary to carry it out as soon as the trial was over. The manner of his execution, not in public awareness until the early 19th century, became part of his modern legend. A hook was pierced through his left side and he was left dangling on the gallows to die. This brutal way of execution was reserved for leaders of robber bands. A legend says that he refused the grace offered in exchange for enlisting soldiers of his abilities with the words: "If you have baked me so you should also eat me!" and jumped on the hook. Jánošík is important in Slovak history because he became the symbol of the Slovak hope against oppression. Folk tradition has succeeded in making Jánošík an essentially popular hero. But, in the field of serious literature, there is hardly a Slovak writer of prominence who has not given him some attention. "The Death of Jánošík: A Romance" by Ján Botto, written in 1862, is one of the best known poems in Slovak literature and culture. Horí ohník, horí na Kráľovej holi. Ktože ho nakládol? dvanásti sokoli. Dvanásti sokoli, sokolovia bieli, akých ľudské oči viacej nevideli! Dvanásti sokoli, sokolovia Tatier, akoby ich bola mala jedna mater; jedna mater mala, v mlieku kúpavala, zlatým povojníčkom bola povíjala. To sa chlapci, to sa jak oltárne sviece, keď idú po háji, celý sa trbliece. Košieľky zelené, striebrom obrúbené, klobúčky obité, orlom podperené; valaška, karabín a pištoliek dvoje: to sa chlapci, to sa, potešenie moje!... Another look at the Sokol Canada Slet

8 Page 8 SOKOL TIMES Sokol Social News A Sokol Gathering BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT Sokol USA Lodge 12 member Aaron Hanson and his wife Tara Vogel Hanson celebrated the birth of their second son, Layton Shepard Hanson, on August 26, He was 8 pounds, 5.5 ounces and 20 inches tall. Layton joins big brother Lincoln to their home in Phoenix, Ariz. Grandparents are Lodge 12 members Linda and Dennis Beach of Valparaiso, Ind. and Karen and Dick Vogel of Scottsdale, Ariz. Great-grandmother is Lodge 12 member Bess Babuska of Tampa, Fla. Many Sokol aunts, uncles and cousins join in welcoming Layton to the Babuska clan. Pictured are members of Cudahy Lodge in Wisconsin, Lodges 39/40 and Lodge 306. The members get together every summer at Betty Ann Bagel s lake house. Upcoming WPSCA Events Mark your calendars so you won t miss any of these important events! October 11: Slovak Beer Tasting November 2: Slovak Festival at Pitt November 3: Slovak Heritage Program November: Slovak Film Festival December 1: Slovak Heritage Program