Impressions: The Olympics of a Different Era

Below, Varoujan Karentz takes a moment to look back and reflect upon some personal experiences as a Providence “Varantian” Chapter Olympic team member.

The AYF Olympic Games of 1944

It was the middle of World War II. Why the games were even scheduled is beyond reason. Every AYF chapter had men in the service and most were stationed overseas fighting for their lives. Regardless, Dean Academy’s athletic field in Franklin, Mass. was chosen as the location of the 1944 games. It had also hosted the Olympics the previous year. In 1944, however, those who had participated in the 1943 games were now in the service and not available, and those who did participate were to enter the military during the next few months. I believe 1944 may have been the first year that women were allowed to compete in track events.

The Providence “Varantian” team was made up primarily of women and young (under military age) men (boys). Two Providence athletes were home on leave and participated. Dean Academy did not have a quarter mile track. It had a straight run track of 220 yards in addition to a high jump pit and long jump run. I don’t think that during the 1943 games any long distance events were run, but that year in 1944 someone had the brilliant idea to pace off a quarter mile out on the football field using the odometer of a car, which drove around in an approximate circle. An official followed the car on foot and created an erratic line sprinkling white baking flour outlining the circumference of the track so that long-distance events could be run.

The last event of the day was the men’s relay. Providence and Watertown were neck and neck, and whoever won the relay race would be the team winner and take home the team trophy. Providence had won the two previous Olympics in 1942 and 1943. The Providence four-man relay team came in first but the exuberant team was disqualified. A so called “observer/judge” claimed that the second leg runner’s left foot had stepped on the “baking flour line,” and was judged out of bounds.

The defeat was devastating.

The AYF Olympic Games of 1946

World War II was over. The boys had returned home and the Olympic games in Willow Brook Park, New Britain, Conn. were not only crowded and exciting but dynamic. The men were well conditioned because of their military duty and felt they could triumph in athletic games as they did on the war front. The chapter teams were not lacking in athletes or enthusiasm. The games were also a reason to see old friends from the pre-war period.

The performances were spectacular and the AYF Olympics took on the appearance of a professionally organized sporting event. Certified officials were hired for the first time rather than picked by the AYF Athletic Committee. Multiple racing heats were conducted in almost every running event to establish those who would be finalists.

Providence won, with a team of record-breaking size. It was the beginning of a strategy to “stuff” the track and field events with as many athletes as possible, knowing that some team member would rise to the occasion and deliver a performance outdoing him or herself to gain points. Providence’s win retired another trophy, the win credited to a series of practices during the summer months at Roger Williams Park. Those afternoon and weekend practices served to train both male and female athletes. The men’s relay team had rehearsed and re-rehearsed the passing of the batons until it was an automatic procedure. Those who had never before competed in an event were coached and tutored. By the time September came, every event had at least three or more Providence athletes competing. Recruiting extended into finding outstanding Rhode Island Armenian athletes and convincing them to join the Providence chapter.

The 1946 games were outstanding. The track and field events ran well into the twilight because of the number of heats that needed to be conducted. Providence entered the games well trained and finished strong. They emerged more confident than ever before and as a result, set the precedent for fielding outstanding teams that has carried on into the future.

The Providence “Varantian” Olympic dynasty, so well-known today, was thus recognized and secured at the 1946 games.

The AYF Olympic Games of 1950

The games fifty-nine years ago were, to me, the most memorable of all the AYF Olympics, held in Detroit, Michigan.

Providence put together the smallest team of athletes it had ever fielded in Olympics competition—six young men and four young women. The men drove out together in one creaky 1936 Ford designed to hold five people. Back then it was a 16-18 hour road trip from Providence to Detroit, the interstate road system only a dream. One of the team members was car sick, vomiting all the way. Another kept getting leg cramps because of the constrictive back seat. The driver could not manipulate the floor mounted gear shift because the sixth passenger had to straddle it between his legs. He shifted gears as the driver depressed the floor clutch and called out “one, two, three, shift!”

The exhausting and lengthy ride in a cramped car seemed to drain all the excitement from the Providence team members upon their arrival in Detroit. What took place on the field the following day was just short of a miracle. Sick, sore, and fatigued, the determination of the team seemed to be compromised. As one event followed another, gathering one or two points, the team morale began to grow. Almost every team member scored in each of the three events they were allowed to enter. By late afternoon, the Providence “Varantians” were in striking range of victory and every event was crucial. It was truly a total team effort with no single star. First-place finishes by Providence were few and infrequent but the number of points scored overall resulted in a team win. Providence came home victorious, winning the 1950 Olympics games.