The journey began with 108 athletes, coaches and leaders who participated in basketball volleyball, soccer, swim, tennis and table tennis competitions. Our athletes trained and practiced for six months with the primary goal of bringing home the gold. With all the hard work from the committee, coaches, managers, parents and our talented athletes, Glendale brought home two championships.
The Montrose men’s team lost to the strong Beverly Hills team who earned a spot in the men’s championship game against our Glendale men. Although both teams were strong, our Glendale men’s team persisted and earned the gold medal, beating the Beverly hills team 92 – 84. Our women’s basketball team played consistently and stayed focused on their goal. They beat Tehran in the final game 76 – 57.
Our women’s volleyball team played magnificently and placed 3rd place, beating Tehran 3 – 1, while our men’s soccer team fought hard and lost their quarter-final game against the eventual champions —the team from Russia. We are also proud of our swimmers for bringing home six medals (two silver medals and four bronze). Both our men’s and women’s tennis athletes won their 1st round matches and lost in the 2nd round.
Our Glendale table tennis received 3rd place in the team competition and 2nd place in the men’s doubles.
Despite finishing 8th overall, with 12 medals (2 gold, 4 silver & 6 bronze), our Glendale delegation had the second best result among the teams participating from outside Armenia.
The Pan Armenian games meant more for our athletes than the earned medals. The games allowed our athletes the opportunity to have fun, create new friendships and make special memories with the 5,000 athletes that participated from all over the world. The opportunity to travel to Armenia and represent Glendale as athletes is a once in a lifetime experience that will stay in the hearts of our athletes forever. The energy, the love, the care, and the effort set forth by the athletes was a great reminder as to why we participate in these games every four years.
Congratulations