The AYF Olympics revs up quickly on Friday with golf and tennis first thing in the morning. The golfers and tennis players were up bright and early, as the shotgun start for golf was at 8 a.m., and tennis matches commenced at 8:30 a.m. Swimming was set to begin later in the day at 4 p.m. After the three athletic events, it was time to dance and celebrate at the Alumni Dance, where the Olympic King, Queen and Varadian Spirit Award recipients would be revealed, followed by the AYF Dance.
Golf
I first headed over to golf, which was held at the Lakes of Taylor Golf Course in Taylor, MI. Opened in 1995, it was a magnificent links style (like the famed courses in Scotland where golf began) municipal golf course designed by Arthur Hills. With rolling hills and deep bunkers, this championship course was well-groomed and beautiful. Because of torrential rains a few days earlier, the bunkers were puddles and any ball that landed in them was to be dropped out of the bunker at the farthest distance from the pin.
As has been the case, Olympic golf was well attended by both AYFers competing for medals and points for their chapters and alumni who love the game and being with old friends. For the better alumni golfers, there is an incentive of winning the Cory Tosoian Memorial Trophy.
Alex Kassabian continues his reign as the premier AYF golfer. There was a tie for second place.
- Alex Kassabian, NY 71
- Leo Dadian, Racine 80
- David Ayrassian, Prov. 80
- Armen Oknayan, Det. 82
The New Jersey women, as they have done in tennis, swept the AYF golf this year.
- Katia Markarian 54
- Lina Ayrian 57
- Victoria Ezgilioglu 64
- Christiane Ezgilioglu 68
For the alumni:
- Jeff Hagopian 78
- Jill Dolik 82
- Michael Manoogian 84
Tennis
Tennis took place at the beautiful courts at the University of Detroit, Mercy. There was a wonderful spacious pavilion with picnic tables for fans to watch the matches and where players could rest. The side fences were viewer- and photographer-friendly half-fences and the courts were in great shape. There were plenty of men and women players for lively matches.
The New Jersey women continued to be a force even though two of their tennis stars of years past opted for golf this year.
- Mia Setrakian, NJ
- Giselle Krikiorian, Granite City
- Nayiri Alexander, Orange County
- Kira Ariyan, NJ
As mentioned in the Thursday article, the tennis story of the day was Providence’s Hagop Taraksian going for this eighth gold medal to break the record of seven gold medals held by Dave Mossoian and Olympic King Harry Derderian. Derderian was on hand to watch the matches. As in the previous Olympics, Taraksian faced Michael-Armen Kadian of Detroit for the gold. Also like last year, the match was competitive and went three sets. In the end, Taraksian prevailed for his eighth gold — and he has one more year of eligibility.
- Hagop Taraksian, Prov.
- Michael-Armen Kadian, Det.
- Peter Setrakian, NJ
- Xavier Millet, Prov.
It must be noted that for both golf and tennis, it was a very hot day with the temperature and humidity in the mid-90s. Kudos to all who participated in these events, but especially to Taraksian and Kadian whose match went until 4:15 p.m.
Swimming
After tennis, we rushed over to the swimming which had already started. The pool was in Livonia at the Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center. It was an outstanding venue and one of the best facilities we have had for AYF swimming. Kudos to the Governing Body for the most efficiently run swim meet in recent history.
Two swimmers took three firsts: Natalia Oganesian of Providence and Armen Vartanian of Detroit. Oganesian also broke the 50 meter breast stroke record held by Lynne Tutunjian Marchetti. Other double-digit point scorers were Nataylia Katcherian of Detroit with 13, Haily Gillett of Detroit with 10 and Matt Janian of North Andover with 13.
Alumni Dance
The Alumni Dance was awesome, as usual, with plenty of food expertly prepared and lavishly displayed by the Alumni Night committee. Detroit’s own Nigosian Band provided music that had everybody up dancing. This talented group of Detroit musicians played old favorites with a driving percussion and vocals.
King, Queen and Varadian Spirit Awards
At 10 p.m. at the Alumni Dance, the music stopped and three Central Executive members got up to present the major alumni honorifics of the Olympic weekend. First, Daron Topouzian, in his last year on the Governing Body, was presented an Olympic medal for his years of service. Next up were the Olympic King and Queen and the Varadian Spirit Awards. This year, the recipients were well-known names in Detroit. They have contributed on the field, coached, organized and devoted their entire lives to the Armenian people and the AYF.
Olympic King: David Shahrigian
Olympic Queen: Talene Hagopian Chalian
Varadian Spirit Award: Ned Apigian and Carolyn Arslanian
AYF Dance
The evening ended with the AYF Dance and the fabulous Yerakouyn Band. They started where the Nigosian Band left off — with a full dance floor that stayed that way all night. Every selection was expertly played.
Look for more in-depth coverage of golf, tennis, swimming, the alumni award recipients and the dances in the Armenian Weekly’s AYF Olympics Special Issue!
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