Memories are a penny a pound when you’ve become a veteran of the AYF Olympic Games. When devotees like myself gather among friends, we turn back the pages of time and reminisce.
We recall the good old days when we competed, followed by our children and now grand children.
Like the man says, “The future is the past waiting to be reborn.” I’ll buy that!
A bunch of us were sitting around the cracker barrel, talking AYF, when someone quipped, “Do you know anyone who has ever missed an Olympics?”
Well, the Gavoors (Sonny and Violet) did. They’ve missed one since the 1950’s—the one that took place in California. The Dulgarians (Steve and Angele) missed two, so they profess. They met in 1954 and started these pilgrimages three years later.
The late John Baronian, God bless his soul, had his perfect attendance ruined when he accepted a wedding invitation of a loved one on Labor Day Weekend. He was so disgruntled, you heard about that for years upon end.
“I was standing in church that Sunday, checking my watch, as the bride and groom marched down the aisle. It was 1 p.m. and my mind drifted back to the Olympics when the events ticked off. Who the #@&% would ever get married Labor Day weekend?”
I started covering these games for the Armenian Weekly back in 1968 with then-Editor Jimmy Tashjian. We were a tandem. I took care of the golf, tennis, and swimming. He handled the track and field. This went on for a few years as my rapport with journalism gained impetus.
The very first issue I filled alone happened to be 1980—my introduction to Detroit. The lead story was Opening Ceremonies. Page 1 carried a story and photo of Harry Derderian as Olympics King, joined by his family. In his arms was son Armen, who emerged as a solid scorer in these games and later coach, while daughters Kristen and Kara were coming into their own as solid performers.
Harry’s tennis finesse secured 10 gold medals over the years. Now, he’s a prolific correspondent for these Olympic issues.
As expected, Detroit prevailed over Boston that year by 80 points, 189-109, for their third straight title, thus retiring the coveted Olympic Cup. Fifteen chapters took part. Nothing sticks out more than the names.
Boston’s Fred Hintlian was high scorer with 15 points. His son Andrew captured three golds this year in the middle distances.
Lowell’s Satenig Dulgarian Ghazarian and Rich Chebookjian won the pentathlon that year. Satenig became Lowell’s all-time leading scorer, flew to Detroit this year to be with her family, and ran the alumni mile.
As for Chebookjian, he wound up as the second leading scorer in AYF history, coached Philly to several championships, and was crowned an Olympic King two years ago in Boston.
The most glittering performance of all came from Fresno, whose Valerie Hagopian set three swimming records in an auspicious debut.
Golfer Jill Tosoian Dolik kept her string of championships intact en route to sharing the women’s all-time crown with sidekick Nancy Gavoor, who prevailed that year in the distances. Not to be outdone, Jill watched with pride while daughter Stephanie won the tennis gold this year.
Meanwhile, the Buzbuzian brothers from Canada were making noise on the links as 19 golfers took part overall, not to mention a healthy alumni field, won by Detroit’s Nick Stepanian.
Boston showed its mettle in the pool with guys like Ara Krafian and Brian Tatirosian, but not enough to catch Detroit. Krafian now coaches Greater Boston and wound up marrying Heather Apigian, who ran a winning relay leg for the Detroit Juniors that year in ’80. They now have four girls who could all be running on the same relay team some day.
The brother-sister act of Paul and Christine Varadian combined for 14 Providence points that year. Paul went on to organize Olympic events for the country of Armenia while Christine moved to Norway, raising a family while starting her own Armenian community in that country.
Who clears 6-5 in the high jump anymore? Back then, it didn’t even get Detroit’s Tim Paulian a gold medal as he lost to Providence’s John Aprahamian at 6-7.
Never has there been such a showdown in this event as hundreds stayed behind to cheer both jumpers on well after the other events ended.
Detroiter Dave Mossoian used a shotgun serve to ramrod his way toward tennis supremacy, joined by Philly ace Jeanne-Ellen Dervishian.
The supreme issue also contained a photo of Aram “Sonny” Gavoor, now an 85-year-old patriarch of the games, with all-time men’s scorer Haig Bohigian of New York—a classic shot.
But then, doesn’t every Olympics have its own character, its own personality and highlights, meant to be cherished and preserved forever?
Tom Vartabedian
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