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Orthodox Observer - June 5, 1997

His Eminence Gets a "Kick" out of Olympics

More than 1,000 young Greek American male and female aspiring athletes ranging from ages 7 through 17 participated in this year's New York Archdiocesan (NYA) Olympics during Memorial Day weekend at the campus of Stonybrook University in Long Island.

By Eleni Daniels

The three-day event, which began on Friday, May 23rd, drew a crowd of nearly 3,000, including children, friends and family members from 17 Greek Orthodox communities from the Archdiocesan District. This year's highlight was the unscheduled visit by Archbishop Spyridon of America, accompanied by Bishop Philotheos of Meloa.

The presence of His Eminence was the first ever by an Archbishop in the history of the event, which has helped keep the spirit of our Hellenic heritage and the Olympics alive for the past 19 years as a bona fide symbol of brotherhood and sportsmanship: "All the kids were overjoyed and thrilled to see the Archbishop. He must have greeted and shook hands with at least 75 percent of the participating athletes and friends on that day," said Alex Constantinou, chairman of the Archdiocesan Olympics. Mr. Constantinou has been organizing the event for the past 18 years, ever since he began working alongside the founder of the Church's Olympics movement, Fr. Kosmas Karavelas, in 1978.

"This year was exceptional, said Demi Brountzas, executive committee member of the NYA Olympics. "The Games came to a standstill when the Archbishop walked in, many of the children and their parents walked around him, and he greeted each child one by one. There was tremendous love and excitement for His Eminence."

His Eminence is ready to "kick-start" the soccer com- petition, at the referee's call, while team members and Bishop of Meloa look on. (D. Panagos photos)

His Eminence bestows a me- dal to a proud winner.

Young athletes from Zoodohos Peghe in Bronx, NY and Cathedral of St. Paul, Hempstead, LI with Arch- bishop Spyridon.

West Nyack's Sts. Constantine & Helen take a break from the games for a photo to be treasured.

St. Nicholas, Flushing GOYA around his Eminence and Bishop Philotheos of Meloa.

The "delegation" from St. Nicholas Shrine in Babylon, LI pose proudly for their photo.

Even though the event was well planned, the problem remains on how to increase community participation in the program and recruit young athletes from each of our Greek Orthodox communities. "Each year an average of 16 churches participate," said Constantinou. "This is not enough. We need help in order to make the program bigger and better."

It is indeed a surprisingly small number compared to the nearly 65 parishes in the greater Archdiocesan District. The organizers continue to wonder and worry about this problem. They are eager to find new ways on how to entice more communities to actively participate in the Games.

For example, there was no representation from Brooklyn — an area that is home to four Greek Orthodox communities. "We feel that the number is low, but we know it isn't easy to organize, there seems to be a constant turnover in the parish youth programs," said Brountzas. She would favor a more centralized system, with more direct avenues to approach and commit the youth officer in each community to assist in the coordination of the Olympics.

The question remains as to whether there is yet a youth program officer in each parish, and if children could receive adequate training prior to the Games. Are the parishes equipped to provide the proper training facilities for these athletes? Can each community recruit volunteers to assist in the early planning stages? What about transportation and safety precautions?

At a recent meeting, Archbishop Spyridon shared some of these concerns with youth directors and select clergy. The problem was discussed, and plans were debated on future programs that could be implemented to benefit our Greek Orthodox youth population.

Participating in this year's events were the following communities: Cathedral of St. Demetrios, Astoria; St. John's, Blue Point; Zoodohos Peghe, Bronx; Transfiguration, Corona; St. Nicholas, Flushing; St. Paraskevi, Greenlawn; Cathedral of St. Paul, Hempstead; St. Demetrios, Jamaica; St. Demetrios, Merrick; Holy Trinity, New Rochelle; Holy Trinity, Staten Island; Church of the Assumption, Port Jefferson; Archangel Michael, Roslyn Heights; Church of our Saviour, Rye; Sts. Constantine & Helen, West Nyack; St. Nicholas Shrine, Babylon and Archangels, Stamford, Conn.

The Olympics are divided in two divisions: JOY (ages 7-12) and GOYA (ages 1217). This year marks the largest number of athletes ever in the JOY division. The Games included soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball, swimming, track and field events, board games, and ping-pong. Tennis was rained out to the chagrin of many of the athletes.

"A lot of the athletes feel good about coming and competing with their own to show what they can do," Brountzas added. Every athlete in the winning team receives a medal. Some even go on to build careers around these competitions. In fact, one athlete in the past went on to compete in swimming on an international level.

The year 1998 will mark the 20th anniversary for the NYA Olympics and plans are well underway for a memorable celebration. The philosophy behind the Games has always been that every athlete turns out a winner.

[ Orthodox Observer - Vol. 62, No. 1130 - June 5, 1997 - p. 24 ]