Youth

By Sanan Derbedrossian TORONTO—On May 2, three young Canadian-Armenians arrived in Armenia to join the nearly 2,000 volunteers who monitored the municipal elections in Yerevan on May 5.  Ararad Torosyan from Montreal, and Anoush Frankian and Roupen Janbazian from Toronto, participated in the first-ever election …

By Haig Sarajian From friendships being made to heated debates and more, this past weekend’s Mid-Atlantic AYF-YOARF Junior Convention hosted by the Philadelphia “Papken Suni” AYF Chapter from Nov. 3-5 was an amazing event. With a good number of AYF Juniors and Seniors in attendance, …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue AYF Olympic reunion spans 3,000 miles   BOSTON, Mass.—They call the Korean Conflict “a forgotten war.” But don’t tell that to John Krikorian and Gabriel Arakelian. They long to remember it. Gabriel Arakelian, left and John Krikorian compare U.S. …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue By Harry Derderian There were continued Sonny Gavoor sightings at the recent AYF Olympics in Boston. Not unusual, one would say, because Sonny and his wife and best friend Violet have missed only some five Olympics since he stopped …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue Mal Varadian BOSTON, Mass.—You won’t find his name among the record-holders or prodigious scorers in AYL Olympic history… But Melkon Megerdichian performed an act of glory that’s worthy of applause: He ran the alumni mile in memory of his …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue The Aug. 5, 2012 passing of Melkon “Mal” Varadian was a milestone in this AYF Olympic-oriented family from Providence. With sister Maro Varadian Kachadoorian, now the only remaining member of the senior generation of family athletes, it is fitting …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue BOSTON, Mass.—Of all the athletes Rich Chebookjian has coached and competed against, few have been closer to him than Ara Krafian, who helped propel the Boston dynasty of the 1980’s. Now, they share another role together–AYF Olympic Kings. The …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue The Sarajian brothers of New Jersey formed their own relay team and softball infield at the 79th AYF Olympic Games in Boston. (L-R) Ara, Raffi, Garo, and Haig make this quartet a ‘fearsome foursome.’ (Tom Vartabedian photo) BOSTON, Mass.—New …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue BOSTON, Mass.—The question remains, “How does Providence do it year after year, time after time, generation following generation?” One word defines their script, “Tradition!” It’s what moved Tevya in “Fiddler on the Roof,” and it’s the same calculation that …

From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue BOSTON, Mass.—It was an all Greater Boston finish in the pentathlon this year as Vigen Sarkisov and Nairi Krafian brought home their first titles with clear-cut conquests, scoring 2,560 and 2,080 points, respectively. Each athlete prevailed in four of …