I love Thursday evening at the AYF Olympics. For the most part, the only people here are the local committee, the athletes who are playing golf and tennis first thing Friday morning, the Governing Body and others who help run the golf and tennis events. It is a smaller crowd, and thus, far more casual and easy to mingle and interact with, basically, everyone.
My custom is to take a photo of the first Armenian I see upon arrival. This time it was not an AYFer but rather the statue of Gomidas by Hart Plaza in the shadow of the Marriott Renaissance Hotel, headquarters of this year’s Olympics. The first AYFers we saw were Ara Dinkjian and family.
Upon checking in and settling into our room, we went to the Welcome Desk and were heartily welcomed by the wonderful ladies staffing the desk: Talia Oknayan, Liz Oknayan, Sanan Malkadjian, Adi Asadoorian, Haigan Tcholakian and Alex Bedirian. Beyond getting our copy of the Ad Book and our Hye Pass wristbands, we were impressed by the AYF hats, t-shirts and sweatshirt they were selling. Kyle Dinkjian modeled the AYF baseball cap and the sweatshirt with the classic ad book graphic and caused a spike in sales.
Speaking of the Ad Book, it is magnificent. Rumor has it that Detroit broke the revenue record set by Washington, D.C. last year. The book logo is ‘HYE 9D.’ The 9D part reads as ‘nine-dee,’ as this is the 90th AYF Olympic Games and the D, of course, stands for Detroit.
Later in the evening, everyone gathered in the lobby bar and restaurant. Ken Topalian and I have a tradition of having a drink every Thursday night to catch up and talk about Olympics past, present and future. It is a wonderful tradition that we even did virtually in 2020 when, due to Covid, there was no Olympics. There were people from NJ, Philly, Boston, California, locals from Detroit and even a young Armenian fellow from Atlanta.
It was a pleasure to see the Steering Committee co-chair Araxie Toussounian. She was cool and collected as she always is — a clear indication that the planning and preparation for the weekend were well done.
It was good to see Governing Body members Daron Topouzian, Mark Manuelian and Ara Sarajian. They do an excellent job with the local committee to ensure the athletic events are properly and efficiently run. As this is Daron’s last year, his replacement Stephen Hagopian is on board this year to learn the ropes. Stephen follows in the footsteps of his dad and uncles who served on the Governing Body.
It was a pleasure to see Sarkis and Marie-Jeanne Shirinian, Jeff and Lynne Hagopian, Dave Papazian, Michael Kazarian, Alec Sarafian, Chris Yangouyian, Ara Topouzian, Greg Darakjian, Avi Alashaian and so many more. Many of us took the opportunity to congratulate the newly-engaged Steve Mesrobian and Lara Nercessian in person. Before heading to my room to write this report, I did stop by the Kick-Off event to hear Michael Kalfayian, aka DJ M-KAY, do his thing.
On Friday, the games begin in earnest with the golf and tennis competitions commencing at 8 and 8:30 a.m., respectively. There are a large number of participants for both. The swimming competition begins at 4 p.m. On Friday night, there is the Alumni Dance where the King, Queen, and Varadian Spirit Award winners are named, followed by the AYF dance.
A story I am keenly interested in covering tomorrow is the men’s tennis. Hagop Taraksian of Providence has the opportunity to set the record for the number of gold medals won in tennis. Over the years of watching Hagop, I have been impressed with his drive and tenacity on the court. The competition will be stiff and spirited. If you have the chance, come out and watch the best AYF men’s tennis player of his generation.
See you on the links, at the courts, at the pool and the dances.
Latest posts by Mark Gavoor (see all)
- The day after Detroit wins the AYF Olympics - September 4, 2024
- A spectacular Sunday at the AYF Olympics - September 2, 2024
- Saturday softball at the AYF Olympics - September 1, 2024
Be the first to comment