Another AYF Olympics has come and gone, making us another year older, wiser, and a bit more nostalgic.
I don’t know what it is about Labor Day Weekend that fuels my jets and makes me so energized as an Armenian. It certainly isn’t about the games. I have no children or grandchildren competing and if two contestants from my North Andover AYF community is any reason to stand up and cheer, I’ll abstain from that.
I recall the halcyon days of Lowell track when three dozen athletes poured onto the stadium ground and competed with vitality. I’d love to rekindle those moments. Perhaps sooner rather than later. Just got word that North Andover placed second in this year’s Junior Olympics, beating out Providence, Jersey, and other larger communities.
All of a sudden, I feel buoyant again, looking to the future with zest and high expectations.
But it is not about medals and trophies that I present you with this piece. It’s about the residue, those side effects that transcend the competition and make it the extravaganza it has been for the past 77 years.
I’m enamored by the job any host city does in laying out the red carpet—from the moment you set foot into that community to the time you leave. The food, hospitality, transportation, hotel, dances all play their prominent roles.
It’s teamwork that complements what you find on the athletic front. Philly did an outstanding job this year. That’s undeniable. People who were dormant suddenly awoke from their deep slumber to pitch a hand. And I think they felt all the better for it. Perhaps an Olympics was just the jolt they needed to get back into circulation and become the Armenians they truly are.
I applaud the efforts of one Bob Najarian for the job he’s done running the softball tournaments over the past quarter century. To stand there year after year—often under a hot sun—officiating takes a lot of chutzpah. It’s not always the easiest job, either, given some of these hotly contested matches.
It takes a thick-skinned hombre to handle the job and Najarian has more than fit the mold—he’s broken it! Now, if he can only keep his raucous laugh under control …
Another guy who doesn’t offer just lip service is Mark Alashaian. But he does put his mouth to where the action is at the stadium mic. Mark’s been announcing the games for as long as I care to remember and has no doubt infused the games with color and commentary.
How he keeps track of so many athletes, little side notes, medals, and results and still has a voice at day’s end is beyond me. It does add a lot of pizzazz to the track and field.
I do not know precisely how many years Steve Elmasian has been coaching the Providence team. Let’s just say it’s abundant. And over the long haul, never have I heard a bad word from the guy, even during the lean years. Win or lose, he’s always got something positive to say about his athletes.
He’s the kind of guy I would want coaching my kid in very much the “Varantian” tradition of leadership. Okay, so he’s got Bob Tutunjian on his side which doesn’t hurt. But I’ll tell you this much. It wouldn’t be the same without Elmo and I hope he’s around forever. Like the Marines, we need a few more good men like him leading the pack.
Not that they’re looking for any glory, but how about a hand for members of the Governing Body who make this all possible? When you’re given the nod, it’s an eight-year commitment. They just don’t show up on Olympics Day and pat each other on the back.
It’s a year-round ritual of meetings, telephone calls, computer memo,s and all else to get the job done. Since the AYF handed the responsibility over to the GB, a more efficient and fluid Olympics has evolved. There used to be some sort of recognition when a term was up. But I don’t see that happening anymore. So let’s give credit where it’s due.
The one thing Olympics has given me, besides a commemorative issue each year for the Armenian Weekly, is a cornucopia of sentiment, from the time I competed to when my boys were earning their medals.
If you were to ever visit our community center in Lowell, you would see the pictures hanging from the walls and the trophy case bursting at the seams. Besides all the political regalia stands the very future of my community.
I can thank an AYF Olympics for that.
Tom Vartabedian
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