MKRTCHYAN HEADS FROM ARMENIA TO AMERICA
By John Boyle
Thomas James Hurst / The Seattle Times
Seattle Times, WA
April 25 2006
Grant Lazarian, a junior at Newport in Bellevue, lost his father as
an infant and hasn’t seen his mother for more than three years.
Grant Lazarian is the first to tell you that his childhood has been
less than ideal.
The father he never knew, the mother he hasn’t seen in more than
three years. It hasn’t been easy.
“I would not like anybody to be in my situation, but you’ve got to
fight through and make the best of it when you are,” said Lazarian,
17.
So why is the Newport junior wearing such a big smile as he runs
around the soccer field at a recent practice?
Because on the soccer field, Lazarian is at home. Because that is
where he is happy.
“Soccer is just something I love a lot,” said Lazarian, his voice
escalating as his eyes widen. “For me it’s like the air I breathe.”
It’s when he talks about more serious matters that his smile fades.
Lazarian (pronounced MERK-a-chan), a native of Armenia, grew up never
knowing his father. Vahan died when Grant was 20 days old in a fight
over disputed lands with Turkey. Grant was raised by his mother,
Lenik, until he was 13, but health problems made it difficult for
her to care for her son.
In August 2002, Grant came to America to live with his aunt, Roza
Gazaryan, and her son, Emil Altunyan. Grant has not been back to
Armenia or seen his mother since, though they speak regularly on
the phone.
Through the good and bad, through adjusting to a new language and
new country, soccer has remained the constant in Lazarian’s life.
His story is a reminder that sports can be more than just games. That
at their very best, they transcend winning and losing and provide
much more than a varsity letter.
When he moved here, soccer provided Lazarian with an arena to make
friends, a second classroom for learning a new language and a sense
of familiarity in a foreign culture.
“Soccer has been very important,” said Lazarian, who played for
Interlake of Bellevue his freshman and sophomore years before
transferring across town to Newport. “The adjustment has been good
and soccer has helped that a lot. Every single person here is a great
person. They all love me, I love them. They all support me.”
Through soccer, Lazarian has become just another high-school kid,
one who makes friends easily and is quick to crack a joke.
“He’s really outgoing,” said senior midfielder Andrew Smith, who has
assisted on four of Lazarian’s team-high nine goals. “Coming to a
new school, he really fit in right away. It seems like he’s always
been with the team.
“He’s probably the funniest guy I know. He has nicknames for everybody,
but they’re not really appropriate for the paper.”
The camaraderie on his soccer team and the support of his aunt and
cousin have helped ease the adjustment to life without his mother.
Roza and Emil are working on bringing her to America.
“I’m waiting for her to come,” said Lazarian. “I miss her. I haven’t
seen her since I moved out here, but I’m fighting through all of
this. I call her, I talk to her. She misses me and I miss her. I
guess it’s not like most other people’s family life.”
As he says this, his voice softens and his gaze drifts to the ground.
He is grateful to his aunt and cousin for taking him in.
“They’re very special to me,” said Grant, who did not speak English
when he came here less than four years ago, but is fluent now.
“They’ve been treating me like their own son. My cousin, he tells me
what’s right and what’s wrong. He’s been like a father to me.”
Lazarian’s soccer skills have helped Newport to an early-season
turnaround. Since starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Knights
have gone 5-2-1 and are in third place in KingCo 3A. All nine of
Lazarian’s goals have come in wins, as have all three of his assists.
“He’s been a welcome addition,” said Newport coach Paul Mendes, who
thinks that Lazarian can play at the Division I level. “He’s filling
in very well. Even though he’s a junior, he’s already one of the key
leaders on the team with his play and also with his enthusiasm. His
tenacity, that’s what really helps this team.”
That tenacity that Mendes loves almost put Lazarian on the sideline
this year. In Newport’s season-opening win over Bothell, Lazarian
fractured a bone in his arm running into a pole while chasing a loose
ball near the sideline. Despite the injury, Lazarian has not missed
a game while wearing a cast.
“For me, it’s soccer all the time, even with a cast,” said Lazarian,
who wants to play professionally someday, but lists medical school
as another goal. “In my country, when I was a kid, I’d watch people
play and I loved it so much. And now it has helped me so much since
I’ve been here. I love soccer, it’s my life.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
