Fuel the fire — all roads lead to Jersey

For generations, the AYF Olympic Games have been a destination. The finish line at the end of a glorious summer spent at AYF Camp Haiastan or a fruitful one spent in Armenia on the AYF Internship. A marker that says you’ve reached the peak after a year of fraternal attitudes, hye tahd and quorum. An event we return to every Labor Day weekend to reconnect, to compete, to celebrate and, perhaps most importantly, to remind ourselves of why this community is worth the trip.

This year, all roads led to Jersey. From near and far, the New Jersey “Arsen” community welcomed AYFers, alumni, families and friends as they made their way to Teaneck for the 92nd AYF-YOARF Olympic Games for a weekend full of competition, culture and camaraderie. Just by being there, attendees fueled the fire that has kept the AYF traditions alive for the past 92 years and that will continue to burn with a brightness only made possible by the gathering of thousands of proud Armenians.

Across the weekend, New Jersey came alive with the spirit of the AYF and athletic competition. Golfers took to the course. Tennis players battled through rallies on the courts. Swimmers dove into the pool. Softball teams competed under the sun. Track and field athletes pushed themselves to their limits. And when the sun went down, the Olympics continued as the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe transformed into a New Armenia, housing thousands of Armenians over the weekend and providing them the space for the much-anticipated dances each night.

As we look back on the 2026 Olympics, it’s easy to remember the high scores, the medals, the championships and the moments of victory. But those moments are only small sparks that helped fuel this year’s fire. The full strength of our success was in the kindling:

It was in the first-time Camp Haiastan camper seeing their ungers and ungerouhis for the first time since their session ended.

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It was in the alumnus transported back 30 years after bumping into an old AYF friend.

It was in the grandparent watching their tournigs shuffle through shourcbars on the dance floor, proud to have passed on the moves.

It was in the newly crowned Olympic Kings and Queens and Varadian Spirit Award winners whose lifelong dedication to our organization was formally recognized.

It was in the newly sworn-in AYF member experiencing the sense of AYF fraternalism and Olympic spirit for the first time — but certainly not the last.

It was in the future AYFers who proudly participated in the opening ceremonies, donning their chapter gear and ushering their peers into the next generation.

To our athletes: thank you. Thank you for competing with heart, for representing your chapters with pride, for pushing yourselves and each other. Whether you were a high scorer or simply just gave everything you had, you are the reason these Games continue. You didn’t just compete — you fueled the fire.

To our coaches: thank you for the countless hours that nobody sees. The practicing, planning, organizing, strategizing, encouraging and preparing that happen long before an athlete ever steps onto the field. Your work keeps the competitive spirit of the AYF alive.

To our families and friends: thank you for showing up, for celebrating with us, for being there. The AYF Olympics have never just been a spectator event. Everyone plays a role, and your energy from the sidelines was part of the experience.

To our alumni: thank you for returning to the Games. You helped light the fire before us, and by returning year after year, you help ensure that it continues burning for the next generation.

To our sponsors, supporters and donors: thank you for investing in this tradition and helping make the 2026 AYF Olympic Games possible. Your support does more than fund a weekend. It supports our organization, chapters, communities and future generations of AYFers for the next year and beyond.

To our subcommittees and volunteers: thank you isn’t enough. Long before the first guest arrived in New Jersey, you were already working, planning, organizing. You were answering questions, solving problems, vetting locations, thinking about our guests’ experience. When the weekend finally came you prepared venues, moved tables, welcomed guests, handed out Hye Passes and AdBooks, sold merch, stayed up late and woke up early. And you did the invisible work that made it possible for everyone else to simply enjoy the weekend. You weren’t doing it for recognition, but because you believe in the spirit of the AYF and our Olympic Games.

And to everyone who traveled to New Jersey: thank you for choosing the AYF. You could have spent your Labor Day weekend anywhere, but you chose Jersey. You chose the AYF community and our Olympics, and for that we are eternally grateful.

For 92 years, the Games have moved from community to community, with each host leaving its own mark on the history of the AYF. This year, all roads led to Jersey. Years from now, someone will look back at the 2026 Olympics and remember a moment. Maybe it will be a race. Maybe it will be a dance. Maybe it will be a conversation in a hotel hallway at 2 a.m. Maybe it will simply be the feeling of standing in a room filled with Armenians and realizing just how large this family really is. That is how the fire burns — with each generation stoking it.

With that in mind, the road continues, and its next stop is Chicago for the 93rd AYF-YOARF Olympic Games hosted by the Chicago “Ararat” chapter in 2027. We can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Until then, we’re proud to have fueled the AYF fire for another year.