Thursday at the AYF Olympics
We were up early, ready and eager to get to the AYF Olympics in New Jersey. Despite a three-hour flight delay, we finally got to Newark and made it to the Glenpointe Marriott at 5:30 p.m.
As is my custom, I love to take a photo of the first Armenian I see upon arriving at the hotel for use in this very article. This year, the honor goes to the dedicated coach of the Philadelphia Chapter, Dave Papazian. Almost immediately, another old friend, Pete Jelalian, walked by. So, instead of taking a photo of just Dave, I got one of Dave and Pete.
Another custom is to meet someone new. After settling into our room, we went to the lobby to return the luggage cart and, voilà, I shared the elevator with Hagop Shishoyan from Sydney, Australia, who is here to experience the AYF Olympics. Hagop, a physical therapist, was born in Aleppo and migrated to Australia. This was his first time in the United States. On his way to New Jersey, he first visited Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Welcome, Hagop!
Our next stop? Very predictable. We went to the Welcome Desk to get our Hye Passes, AdBooks, check out the very cool ‘merch,’ and to greet and photograph the dedicated Arsens running the Welcome Desk. Everyone was excited that, after months of planning, the weekend was finally here.
The AdBook was thicker than most, and the cover was a work of art—the best I have seen. The ‘merch’ was also very well designed, and it was hard to resist buying AYF-themed hats, shirts, gym shorts or water bottles. I ended up buying a polo shirt embroidered with the AYF Olympic Torch, complete with red, blue and orange flames.
Another wonderful Thursday night tradition was catching up with Alexan and Ken Topalian and over dinner, which turned into a larger social gathering, which overflowed to other tables. Stepan Kanarian was the first to join us. We chatted with Rich Sarajian, Ara Topouzian, Mal Barsamian, Stepan’s brother Rich and Athena, the Almasians of North Andover and more. We talked about the importance of the AYF Olympics and its role in helping so many maintain, and even discover, their Armenian roots.
We talked about the role the AYF Olympics plays in funding the AYF and wondered how that success might be further leveraged. Someone noted that the deep feelings, lifelong friendships and commitment to the Armenian Cause we associate with the AYF Olympics are very similar to those generated by another multigenerational gem of the AYF: Camp Haiastan. Someone else brought up the lovely, heartfelt testimony penned by Nora Kzirian, Camp friends become family, published just a few days ago in the Armenian Weekly.
There is a certain magic in both the AYF Olympics and AYF Camp Haiastan that is so vital to sustaining our beautiful community. Tomorrow, that magic will shine, as the AYF Olympics gets underway athletically with golf, tennis and swimming, followed immediately by the Alumni Dance and the AYF Dance. It will be an exciting AYF Olympics kind of day.
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