36th Navasartian Games Kick Off May 15
asbarez
Friday, May 6th, 2011
The Navasartian Games kick off on May 15
As we welcome the month of May and the flowers that bloom under its
gaze, a hype of sorts begins to develop in the Armenian Community in
the shape of, `The Navasartian Games.’ It begins with a hush and is
quickly replaced by a loudness that causes the hype to escalate in
anticipation to the kick-off of, the grandest and most successful
tournament on offer to the Armenian community stateside. A tournament,
which routinely and traditionally repeats itself year in and year out
until its conclusion at a feverish pace on the Fourth of July weekend.
The organizers of this event, and under the stewardship of
Homenetmen’s Western United States Regional Executive Committee, are a
group of esteemed volunteers who have vast experience in putting
together a tournament that runs uninterrupted for two months, all the
while planning and executing several other events during this period
of time that take us right up to the closing ceremonies weekend.
The list of details to putting together a tournament of the size and
magnitude of the Navasartian Games are, simply, endless. The
organizers will tell you that this year’s games will irrefutably be
the biggest yet. The biggest in terms of athlete participation, the
number of sports and teams that enter, organizers, volunteers,
sponsors, sporting venues, committees, and details too numerous to
mention. No one would attempt to doubt the enormity of this year’s
games because if the past is any indicator of how well the tournament
fared, then the previous 35 tournaments should’ve served as a litmus
test to the level of success Homenetmen will enjoy this year. You see,
each Navasartian Games did better than the one before in terms of
record participation and attendance, and this should serve as a
warning that the outcome of this year’s games will be no different
success-wise, once again upholding the tradition that the 36th.
Navasartian Games will match and surpass last year’s record breaking
tournament.
Once the games are afoot, we’ll invariably witness the tournament take
on a life of its own in the form of the largest gathering of athletes
and volunteers witnessed in the Armenian community. As a matter of
pride recited for the past several years, it is by and large, the
biggest amateur tournament in the state of California. An accolade
previously held by the Inner City Youth Games. To achieve an honor as
distinguished as this did not come without a price. The sheer increase
in the number of teams that have been participating to reach this
plateau is amplified, only, by the utter dedication of the hordes of
volunteers that steer this huge ship that we so affectionately call,
Homenetmen.
It is these volunteers that bring about the kind of sustained success
that the Navasartian Games have enjoyed for close to four decades. The
litany of information, protocols and logistics that go into the
Navasartian Games from start to finish is staggering, and is largely
carried out by this army of volunteer workers. The fact that this has
been at all possible is a testament to those whose heritage means so
much that, non, give a second thought of not putting up with the
physically and mentally exhausting, but fruitful work that goes into
the tournament. Homenetmen has been able to evoke an ethos in the
Armenian Community that has given a fundamental character to our
culture. The volunteers that walk through its doors are encouraged to
exude their best, and by incessantly challenging its members and
volunteers to look ahead and evolve, Homenetmen has, thus, been able
to constantly reinvent itself. As a result, it is a certainty that the
youth of today and the future generations would enjoy the offerings of
this truly esteemed organization.
Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the times, considering there’s no
one out there to motivate you to become better than you already are. I
am by no means writing these words to bestow superlatives at
Homenetmen, nor by any means an attempt at casting aspersions in
anyone’s way, but the simple truth that no one in the largest Armenian
Community in the diaspora today stands shoulder to shoulder with
Homenetmen, is a crying shame, while at the same time a testament to
Homenetmen’s self-preserving formula that has given it the kind of
self-belief, growth and longevity that has lasted unfettered for
decades on end, and, the subject of envy from similar organizations
looking from the outside in. The fact that the competition is severely
lacking, or, dare I say, non-existent, lessens the variety of programs
that would otherwise have been available to the youth who are not
members of Homenetmen. Evidently, competition would’ve added
additional creativity, and that would only have benefited the
youngsters of today and at the same time contributed to the `greater
good’ of the community. I suppose we can safely ascertain that, any
other organization’s loss is Homenetmen’s gain.
On the forefront of gain, Homenetmen has gained the ability to run the
Navasartian Games with a gamut of sports which will be taking place at
its customary venue at Birmingham High School, in Van Nuys,
California. With roughly 6,000 athletes participating and competing in
many different sporting activities, the games are scheduled to open on
Sunday, May 15th 2011, with plenty of culinary fare and competitions
all day. The various sports and numerous events are to be scheduled
and posted at the tournament’s own dedicated website
. For an in-depth look at everything that’s
the Navasartian Games, the Navasartian Committee which comprises of 10
individuals whose cumulative experience in Homenetmen would add up to
several hundred years, has prepared a website whose task is to keep
the community literally informed on a daily basis. The site is
currently active with a plethora of information for your viewing and
reading pleasure. Once the games begin in earnest on May 15th, and
until the conclusion of the games on the Fourth of July weekend, the
site will be updated constantly as the days and weeks wear on. The
diligent work of the committee will not go unnoticed, since they are
the heartbeat of what is and what isn’t at the Navasartian Games. The
10 members of the Navasartian Games Committee are:
Mher Tavidian – Chairman
Salpi Jejeian – Vice-Chair / Public Relations
Karineh Titizian -Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Ari Boyajian -Advertising
Cima Garabetian -Banquet
Vahe Ohanessian -Festival
Norayr Saghbazarian -Treasurer
Sevag Garabetian -Facilities
Ossig Movsessian -Door
Fred Babajanians – Athletic Representative
The above mentioned committee members will be orchestrating the
Navasartian Games from start to finish.
Opening Day: May 15, 2011.
Location: Birmingham High School, 17000 Haynes St., Van Nuys, CA. 91406.
Come and join us at Homenetmen for food, fun and competitive games.
Kick-Off Party: The Games are not considered open without the kick-off
banquet which will take place on Thursday, May 19th., at the Glendale
Hilton.
Victory Ball: No Navasartian Games will ever be deemed complete
without the hip and customary Victory Ball. This year the Ball will
revert back to the much praised CBS Studios and will take place on
June 25th.
Navasartian Closing Weekend Schedule:
Thursday, June 30, 4 p.m. to Midnight.
Friday, July 1, 4 p.m. to Midnight
Saturday, July 2, 8 a.m. – Midnight
Sunday, July 3, 8 a.m. – Midnight
Entertainment:
Karnig Sarkissian : Thursday, June 30 and Saturday, July 2.
Harout Pamboukjian: Sunday, July 3.
In addition, there will be a host of singers and entertainers whose
names and appearance dates will be announced in the coming days and
weeks.
As a conclusion to the 36th Navasartian Games, the 35,000 or so guests
and attendees are treated to the traditional and spectacular Fourth of
July Fireworks, which have been a mainstay of these splendid games,
and will feature this year again during the Festival Weekend.
For everything that’s the Navasartian Games visit here.
From: A. Papazian
www.navasartiangames.com