ATHLETIC CONTEST CELEBRATES ARMENIAN CULTURE, HERITAGE.Byline: Melissa Schmitt Daily News Staff Writer Riding on the back of a golf cart around the grounds of the 23rd annual Armenian Athletic Games at Birmingham High School Birmingham High School is a public coeducational high school in the neighborhood/district of Lake Balboa in the San Fernando Valley section of the city of Los Angeles, California. The school is a part of District One of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). in Van Nuys, Jenny Kiljian, 18, enjoys the privileges that go along with being an executive. Today, the finals for the games will take place at the Valley campus, concluding nearly five weeks of competition between worldwide chapters of the Armenian General Union and Scouts, or Homenetmen. Hundreds of athletes from Southern California's two largest chapters are representing the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and Glendale. A 13-year member of a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. chapter, Kiljian speaks four languages, including English and Armenian, and is on the executive public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most committee for this year's games. She's also competing. She's an accomplished swimmer, competing each year in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events, even though she has asthma. This year, she expanded her role at the games to include volunteer duties at the executive level to make sure things go smoothly at the games. Charming and articulate, she is the kind of person who, without a face to put to her voice, could be easily mistaken for at least 15 years older. Kiljian is exactly what Homenetmen organizers had in mind when they formed the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, chapter 30 years ago. The idea, said Steve Artinian, a games organizer and spokesman, was to give second-generation Armenians around the world a place to come together, sing and compete, and hang on to their Armenian heritage in a positive environment. Salpi Jejeian, 32, of Hollywood has been involved with Homenetmen since she was 5. Artinian was the chairman of her chapter. Today both volunteer their time and services to the annual athletic games that draw athletes from Paris, Canada, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Argentina by the thousands. They compete in basketball, volleyball, swimming, ping pong (1) A half-duplex communications method in which data are transmitted in one direction and acknowledgment is returned at the same speed in the other. The line is alternately switched from transmit to receive in each direction. Contrast with asymmetric modem. , tennis and golf. Jejeian said the organization has had a profound impact on who she has become. ``I was a Brownie when I got involved,'' Jejeian said from behind the bottled water booth where she volunteered Saturday. ``Homenetmen is like my first marriage. My husband is my second.'' Homenetmen's great gift, Jejeian said, is the teaching of respect and honor for one's self and others. It is more successful than many youth organizations in reaching a broad base and retaining it because leaders treat the children so well, she said. ``They see how involved we are, and they continue on.'' Like Artinian, Jejeian was once a scout leader A Scout Leader generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on the type of unit. . Many of her charges went on to become scout leaders themselves. ``We do it for the kids,'' said Peter Taslakian, a scout leader from Granada Hills. |
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