InternationalCultural diversity and athletics merge at Glendale Friendship Games
Event promotes sportsmanship and unity
Published: Saturday November 01, 2008
Scouts present the colors.
Glendale, Calif. - Glendale's multi-dimensional cultural landscape was well-represented as 568 athletes and hundreds of community members descended upon Glendale High School for the third annual Glendale Friendship Games.
Organized by the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter, the two-day event showcased the talents of athletes, young and old, who came to the venue to compete in basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, table tennis, and gymnastics. Throughout the course of the weekend, Glendale High School's basketball and tennis courts and football field were home to simultaneous competitive games that captivated thousands of sports fans.
The flurry of activity was impressive as participants donning light-blue "Ararat Friendship Games" T-shirts, with the signature flame and cupping hands imprinted on them, rushed to and from games.
Although representations of Armenian culture were embedded within the foundation of the event, they were featured in only subtle forms, such as small flags printed on T-shirts. After all, the Armenian tricolor was not the primary focus of the day; rather, it was diversity that was championed.
The event may have been created and nurtured by members of the Armenian community, but the target audience is much wider. Accordingly, numerous ethnic groups attended the games, mirroring Glendale's kaleidoscope of cultures.
Athletics in the limelight
Just because the theme of the games is friendship doesn't mean that some hearty competition is not welcomed. Teams of vibrant young players tore up the soccer fields and the basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts with their athletic skills. It seems that while sportsmanship is cherished, no one left his or her competitive edge at home this year.
Participating in the Glendale Friendship Games were youths from several sporting organizations and schools in Glendale and neighboring communities, including AYSO Region 88, CV Soccer Club, MTM Club, Hoover High School, Burbank High School, Crescenta Valley High School, AGBU Pasadena, Soccer Store, City of Glendale Employee team, MGM Soccer team, Hye United Soccer Team, TapOut Volleyball team, X-Factor Volleyball, Homenetmen Massis, and Homenetmen Ararat.
High schools Hoover, Burbank, Crescenta Valley, and AGBU Pasadena brought their freshmen and sophomore basketball teams, which energized the competition and pleasantly surprised event organizers.
"Basically it's a tournament and they want to evaluate their players and teams and how they play against others," said Glendale Friendship Games Organizing Committee Co-chair Sako Hemelian.
Adults, too, got into the spirit of sports. Glendale City officials tested their hoop skills against the senior members of Ararat in an energetic exhibition game of basketball, which left no doubt in the minds of spectators that middle-aged men can still make a slam dunk or two, despite the knee braces and receding hair lines. Indeed, it seemed that these men, many of them longtime athletes, may even give the young basketball hopefuls a run for their money.
Participants on the City of Glendale team included the Glendale fire chief, school board member Greg Krikorian, a housing project manager, the deputy director of housing, and a public education coordinator.
Soccer kicks off the games
The Glendale Friendship Games may have officially begun on October 18, but the soccer tournaments had been in full swing since September 26.
The tournaments included the Girls C Division Under 16, the Boys D Division Under 14, and the Boys F Division Under 10. These games took place at the Glendale Sports Complex as well as at Glendale High.
I had a chance to catch a tournament game at the Glendale Sports Complex on October 16, when two AYSO girls' teams, the Under-16 division and the Under-14 division, battled it out for first and second place.
The chilly air at the Glendale Sports Complex, in the rolling hills above the city, couldn't keep the young girls and their supportive fans from coming out for the final game Thursday night. The two teams boasted a multicultural roll call, with the girls eager to win and anxious to display their sportsmanship.
"Even though it's not a serious competition, it is very competitive," said Ararat Board of Directors Vice-chair Serge Grakasian. "The games were all very good. There's lots of sportsmanship here."
The games may have been played in the name of fun, but the adrenaline was definitely pumping and everyone, including the soccer officials, was certainly taking the finals seriously.
"The Friendship Games have been one of the best-organized sporting events that I've ever seen because they brought in AYSO players, Ararat players," said volunteer referee and AYSO Under-10 Boys' Coordinator Hazen Burford. "What it is, is a bunch of kids coming up here playing and having a blast."
The consensus among Burford and the two volunteer linesmen, Doug Wallace and Armik Ghazarians, who appeared to display a genuine sense of excitement in overseeing these tournament games, was simply that they do it for the kids. Ghazarians is an AYSO coach. Wallace is an AYSO assistant regional coordinator.
Watching the three men run alongside the kids as they officiated the match, expressing to us their amazement at how well the girls played as we stood on the sidelines made it clear that Burford, Wallace, and Ghazarians were entirely committed to the young athletes.
"All the girls know each other, which helps because they don't get nasty or dirty," Wallace said. "So it really is the Friendship Games. A lot of these girls will be playing on Saturday on the same team even though they are playing against each other today."
This year soccer received much-coveted attention from the major league as Chivas USA officially recognized the Glendale Friendship Games. Chivas forward Alecko Eskandarian even held a meet and greet with the participants some weeks prior to the Friendship Games.
