First and foremost, our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the Racine “Armen Garo” Chapter and community for putting on a beautiful Olympics. They arranged for great facilities and everything ran smoothly. Even the weather cooperated. All of the athletic events went well. The dances were well attended and most enjoyable. The Hyatt Milwaukee was great. The city? Everyone loved Milwaukee and commented on the quality and quantity of restaurants, bars, and cultural offerings.
Everyone is exhausted after such a weekend, but no one more so than the organizing committee. They have worked for over a year preparing for the weekend. When the weekend arrives, they work even more intensely to deliver the wonderful time we all enjoyed. Bravo! Kudos to one and all for a job very well done!
Rather than risk missing naming anyone, here is the full list of Olympic Steering committee members taken from the excellent Ad Book. If you know any of them, send a congratulatory note.
We gathered. We most definitely created another new Armenia. And, as is always the case, it was over before we knew it.
For most of us, this is the nature of being Armenian in the U.S. After the Olympics, we are exhausted, and as we return to home, school, or work, we feel the void left by the Olympics’ having concluded. Things seem a bit more drab and odar than a mere few days earlier. Of course, that feeling quickly passes as we catch up on sleep and settle back into our daily routines—but it exemplifies the power and importance of the AYF Olympics in our lives.
In this day and age of social media, people are posting from the Olympics. There were real-time, live videos and countless Instagram and Facebook photos. Read the comments of folks who were not in attendance: There were lots of “Thanks for sharing” and “Wishing I were there” posts. Search on #AYFOlympics to see what people have posted.
Here is an example of the kind of social media posts post-Olympics. Rich Kanarian, the winner of this year’s Alumni Golf, summed it up perfectly:
Rich is right, the withdrawal pains are from spending time with old and new friends and wishing it could have been longer. But, we are also looking forward already to next year when we get to do it all over again. Tebi Philadelphia…
Note: More details of the Olympic Games and results will be presented in the Armenian Weekly’s AYF Olympic Issue later this month.
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