29th Annual Hmong Freedom Celebration & Sports Festival July 4th & 5th
The Hmong Sports Festival returns again to St. Paul for the 29th year. The festival draws Hmong families from all across the US as a celebration of their freedom combining with the celebration of our Nation’s freedom. An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people will attend this very popular event sponsored by the Lao Family Community of Minnesota.
There are lots of overhead kicks in the sport of kato
St. Paul’s McMurray Fields have been the host for this Hmong Freedom Celebration for nearly 30 years and soccer has always been the main attraction. However, there are many other sports included in the competition such as volleyball, flag football, kato, tennis, top spin, badminton, basketball, bowling and golf. 1,400 athletes will participate making this the largest ethnic sporting event in the country.
Kato is an exciting sport played with a softball sized reed-woven ball and played like volleyball but only the feet and head may be used.
Top spinning is truly “tops” that are spinning. They are usually tops that are hand carved or lathed with the prize awarded to the top that spins the longest.
Soccer is still the top draw at the festival and the newly laid fill-turf fields at McMurray make this an excellent venue for this event. There will be 40 teams from across the US participating as well as our own Majiks FC team, who won the tournament in 2007, and the well known Twin Stars, who were champions in 2004 and 2005.
Over $60,000.00 will be handed out in prize money to the winners of these competitions.
There will also be food, arts, crafts and music. Interestingly, as the Hmong have assimilated into US communities the vendors have shifted as well selling more mainstream foods and goods. However, the emphasis is still on tradition.
$4.00 gets you into the event and those over 65 or under 3 are free. Free parking and shuttle service is available at the State Fair Grounds. This is a great opportunity to take in some world culture and fill your soccer void at the same time.
For directions go here.
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I was busy selling stuff and didn’t get a chance to catch anyone play!I’m curious to know who won for flag Football and Volleyball … GIRLSteam&GUYSteam! Hit me back at the email and tell me please =)
Thank You!!
Typhoon FC took first in soccer this year – AGAIN! They had awesome players and had the skills, teamwork and endurance to win their competition. I hope to see them defend their title next year and take the championship.
I don’t think Hmong soccer players will ever get a chance to shine again as long as we allow other talent ethnic players to join. They’re too good and take over our pride and joy that supposed to be for Hmong amateur players (not those that involved in college scholarship program). These players should be expel from their college league don’t you think. They’ve broken the college rules for participate in amateur recreational tournament.
If they received prize money they would indeed be violating NCAA rules. But I’m not sure how the Twin Stars handled this? I’m not really familiar with the Typhoon FC. But in general, I think there is concern with college kids playing. I am not the one to say whether it should be an all Hmong tourney or not. However, being a Hmong festival I would think that would be the emphasis. If the organizers are trying to make more money by allowing non-Hmong teams than that will surely come back to bit them in the back side because eventually and as you say, the Hmong athletes will lose interest in the event.
Speaking of Hmong players, how come the Thao cousins, Johnson and Tim, are no longer on the Twin Stars roster. I’ve coached both of those guys at St. Paul Central HS.
Is there a website that we can go check on the result of Hmong Freedom 2009 Tourney and see who won what sports? Lao Family of St. Paul need to do better than this. Who won the volleyball games? anyone knows? Please advised.
They told me they would update me with the information when they received it from an organization that was running the sports tournaments for them but they never got back to me. I agree, if your going to run a tournament this size you need to be responsible have scores available almost immediately after the competition.